


Gold Eyes

by Vampire28



Category: Twilight (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Imprinting, Romance, True Love, Wolves, connection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 14:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 37,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15367149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampire28/pseuds/Vampire28
Summary: Connection, a word similar to Imprinting or mate. The two Connections are "true love" and "meant to be". Once they meet eyes, they are bound to each other until death. They share each others emotions, love, interests, and some experiences in creating a understanding and stronger connection. One connection, usually the male, is a shapeshifter, a wolf. The second, usually the female, is human. In some cases the female connection can start to experience stronger abilities such as speed, strength, and hearing. Connection is one of the strongest things on Earth, defying death itself... Sometimes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this love story! It was inspired by Twilight's Imprinting.

POV- Emma

The sound of my heart racing echoed in my ears, only pushing my legs more. With every step, my feet told me to stop while my mind was begging to push more.  
It wasn’t until the sound of my watch going off did my mind finally listened to my feet and stop.  
I bent over, trying to grasp my breath before it completely disappeared. Once I had caught it I started the long walk around the field, stepping to the beat of some song that was blaring from the speakers.  
Of course the seniors had snuck into the field and found their way to the speakers, blaring out any music they could find. They had done this so many times I wondered if the principle had encouraged them to do this. He defiantly wasn’t that way with my class.  
God, I’m happy I’m out of this place.  
In the corner of my eye I could see three guys standing on the bleachers, daring each other to do stupid things while another one was in control of the music. The last one seemed to lean on the railing and watch me as I finished my last lap.  
The first time I saw them sneak into the football field and mess around with the radio I tried to put a stop to it, telling them to leave, but of course they didn’t listen.  
After the 3rd day I had decided to make a deal with them, telling them that if they played the kind of music I liked while I ran then I wouldn’t tell anyone they were here and just leave them be. They agreed.  
That was 3 weeks ago. Now three days of the week is filled with me running, listening to music, an occasionally admiring the guys as they tried to do stupid things.  
One day last week, one of them was dared to try to balance on the railing that wrapped around the bleachers. I knew he would never do it, he’d have to be stupid. Well, when he climbed onto the railing I had to stop and watch, my breathing caught in my chest.  
He made it five steps before catching himself and climbing back down.  
No one has fallen to the extent of breaking anything, but then again sometimes I wonder if their drunk so they don’t feel anything. Who knows?  
I finally learned their names two weeks ago, asking when they asked me mine. They had tried to figure it out, going as far as asking me what year I graduated and what my last name was so they could look it up.  
Eventually I caved and told them, but the music guy had liked his nickname for me so he kept call me that. Runner.  
The only name I hadn’t learned yet was the guy who continuously leaned on the railing, watching me. It wasn’t a stalking way; it was more of an admiring way.  
The one in charge of the music was named Daniel, he had longer black hair that was almost always up into a pony tail. His figure was built like all of them were. I learned he loved anything with a beat and was the guy who always brought music with him.  
I quickly learned that two blond hair boys, Lucas and Liam, were brothers. Lucas was the older brother, always daring his younger brother to do stupid stuff while he joined in.  
Liam was the youngest of the group, the only one still in school. He was always trying to prove himself to the guys, so he would do whatever they asked, only questioning them on dangerous things.  
Jackson was the oldest and defiantly the most built. He had short brown hair, so short that if he went any shorter he would be bald. He was the most mature but never gave up a chance to hang out with the guys.  
They respected him.  
As for the guy who always watched me. I still don’t know his name, but soon realized he was the second oldest. He had short black hair, reminding me something of a Taylor Lautner look. I didn’t know if he was mature or not, all he ever did was stand and watch me, only occasionally pushing the guys around with a laugh.  
They all were buff and they all loved watching me run.  
Today I had made the mistake of leaving my bag near the guys. They never went through my stuff, but I still tried to stay out of their way.  
I walked over to my bag, grabbing my sweatshirt and checking to make sure I had everything.  
The sound of my music lowering made it easier to hear Lucas ask his regular question. “Hey Emma, how many today?”  
I looked up at Lucas, catching all of the guy’s eyes. “6 ran, 1 walk,” I said, slipping my sweat shirt on and letting my brown hair out of my pony tail. In some lighting it almost looked black, but it was brown.  
“Runner strikes again, getting in first place with 7 laps total, only 1 walk,” Daniel said into the mic as if he was reporting to a crowd. I couldn’t help but smile and looked at him through the glass. He smiled back and winked.  
“Well, I’ll catch you guys Friday,” I said, throwing my bag over my shoulder. My eyes made contact with the un-named guy’s, both us catching each other looking a bit too long.  
They all nodding, waving to me as I turned to leave. The next thing I heard was what I always heard when I left, the sound of their howling. This was how they said goodbye to me.  
Most groups have a handshake or inside joke but this group had a calling. A wolf howling. They were really good at it too.  
I reached the entry way to the football field and threw my bag over the fence. My body snaked around two poles easily, slipping out of the fenced area. I was thin, though my mouth consumed so much food it was surprising how skinny I was.  
My red truck sat in view, bringing back the memories of my past grandma’s old vehicles. Every vehicle she had was red, so I inherited that color and all of my cars have been red, minus my first which was an emerald green. My birth stone.  
“Hey Emma,” The sound of a guy’s voice yelled, making me stop and turn to see un-named guy. He jogged over to me, holding up my phone to show I had left it.  
I couldn’t help but shaking my head with a soft laugh, “I swear I forget that thing everywhere, thank you.” He slowed to a stop and extended his arm out, handing me my IPhone 5s that was only recently given to me by my brother. The Star Wars case still on it.  
Our fingers just brushed each other, sending electricity up my arm and throughout my body. The way his body moved, he had felt the same thing.  
I stuck my phone in my pocket, extending my hand out to un-named guy in hopes to learn his name and feel the electric touch once again.  
“I’m Emma.”  
“Ethan,” un-named guy said, shaking my hand. The electric touch ran through my body again, filling it with heat. His hand was warm, surprisingly warm even with the Spring weather.  
“Well, it’s nice to meet you Ethan,” I said, his name flowing off my lips as perfectly as my own name did. The way his body tensed and his eyes got big it was as if he had never heard someone call him his name before.  
I pulled my hand back, my body missing the warm, electric touch but soon got use to the normal weather.  
“You too,” Ethan mumbled, his face still showing some type of shock. “Um, when will you be back?”  
Nodding to the field I said, “Well, usually I come over and run in the afternoons on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But once in a great while I come just to think.”  
“Did you graduate,” Ethan asked, his voice trailing off like he had more to the question but never finished it.  
“Yeah, I graduated from here about 2 years ago, you?”  
Ethan seemed relaxed now, the shock expression on his face dissolving to form a beautiful, white teeth, smile.  
He nodded to the road, “Graduated 2 years ago too, but not from here. I used to live in Colorado and then Alaska for a little bit, but Colorado was my main home.”  
I felt like this guy was telling me his life story, but part of me didn’t mind. My mind was begging to ask a million questions, find out all of his secrets, and understand this man before me.  
“Cool, I have an aunt and uncle that live in Colorado and I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska,” I said, feeling the need to show him that I was connected to those places somehow too.  
Ethan’s face showed confusion, making me rethink everything I just said. “Why didn’t you ever go, to Alaska I mean?”  
My mouth opened, ready to tell this complete stranger my own life story. Like why I wanted to go to Alaska, why I was driving this old red truck, why I came and ran almost every other day. But I stopped myself.  
I quickly came up with something else to say, shrugging as I said, “Don’t know, just time I guess. Anyway I have to go, but maybe I’ll see you Friday.”  
Ethan smiled, as if wishing that right now was Friday. “Okay, I’ll see you Friday.”  
With that I made one last longing eye contact with him before getting into my truck, starting it, and driving out of the school parking lot.


	2. Chapter 2

POV- Ethan

The way her hand touched mine made this new warmth fill me. It was like electricity running through my veins, bring back to life anything that was dead or broken.  
And the way my name rolled off my lips made the warmth burn even more. It wasn’t a painful burn; it was a healing burn. The kind of burn that you crave, need, and want.  
I pulled my hand away, shock filling my body when it realized who she was. My mind had never even given this girl a second thought, yet I found myself watching her every time she ran. Studying her appearance.  
It wasn’t until today did I finally talk to this girl, only jogging over to give her back her phone. Yet, somehow, my body and heart knew who this girl was, knew what she meant to me.  
When I realized that I hadn’t said anything my mouth quickly said a simple, “You too,” only for it to come out as a mumble. I needed to keep talking to this girl, test the bounders and really see if she is the one.  
“Um, when will you be back?” I asked, almost slapping my face at the question. You know when she’ll be back you idiot, you’ve watched her for only a week and have already picked up on her routine.  
Sneak into the football field, lay bag on bleachers, take off jacket or sweatshirt, set miles on watch, run, walk the last mile, grab stuff, leave.  
Emma nodded to the field behind me, “Well, usually I come over and run in the afternoons on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But once in a great while I come just to think.”  
She runs when she needs to think, so do I, well sort of. I need to find out more, how old she is, did she go to this school, something so I can keep talking with her.  
“Did you graduate,” I asked, intending on asking if she graduated from her but I stopped. I don’t know why, but my voice was cut short, not finishing.  
“Yeah, I graduated from here about 2 years ago, you?”  
My body relaxed at the thought of the conversation still going. I had found out a lot in just that one sentence. She was as old as I was, graduated from Hemlock, and wanted to know more about me too.  
In my own mind I sounded like a creep, but I wasn’t. I just wanted, no needed, to know more about her. Something, anything.  
I couldn’t help the smile that appeared on my face. My headed nodded to the road, “Graduated 2 years ago too, but not from here. I use to live in Colorado and then Alaska for a bit, but Colorado was my main home.”  
The memories of Alaska quickly filled my mind, but the sound of Emma’s voice made the dark memories vanish into the air. “Cool, I have an aunt and uncle that live in Colorado and I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska.”  
My immediate feeling was joy, joy knowing we had something in common. Sort of, but even the littlest thing in the world felt like the biggest thing to me. My first thought was confusion though. I felt the yearning to go to Alaska too, wanting to go not for myself but for someone else.  
Why?  
“Why didn’t you ever go, to Alaska I mean?”  
Emma’s mouth opened, revealing her beautiful white teeth. She looked as if she was ready to tell me a story of her life, revealing some of her past to me. But she caught herself, thinking for a minute before shrugging and saying, “Don’t know, just time I guess. Anyway I have to go, but maybe I’ll see you Friday.”  
I gave up on the conversation, knowing that if I asked anymore questions she’d probable think I was a creep. But the thought that I might see her Friday made me wish Friday was right now, just so I could admire her even more, watch over her, listen to her.  
“Okay, I’ll see you Friday.”  
Our eyes stayed connected, filling my mind with the memory of her beautiful blue and green eyes. It was only then that I noticed the small color of gold in them.  
Gold, she was the one.  
I watched her get into her truck and leave the parking lot, leaving me behind to only admire her in my mind.  
After a few moments I had gathered myself up and headed back to the football field where everyone waited on the bleachers. In two reaches I had reached the top of the fence and jumped over it, landing on my feet easily.  
Jackson looked at me with a smile on his face, sensing what I was feeling from the moment Emma said my name. No one else could sense it, they wouldn’t be able to, but somehow they knew that I was different.  
“You two talked for a while,” Daniel said, joining the group as they sat on the bleachers.  
Should I tell them? Of course, if I don’t they’ll soon figure it out anyways. Then again, I knew I wouldn’t have to, Jackson would announce it.  
“He found her,” Jackson said, his eyes still on me as I climbed the bleachers, my head looking down. He seemed proud to know that I had found her. I wasn’t the first too, but I was second in command which meant I would be looked down upon if I hadn’t found her.  
Lucas, Liam, and Daniel all looked at each other, then at me with wide eyes and wide smiles.  
Lucas was the first to speak, “No way.”  
“Runner, Runner’s your girl,” Daniel asked, but he already knew the answer.  
Liam understood what we were talking about, but he was still knew which meant he didn’t know how much this meant to the pack. To me.  
Finally I looked at the group, my group. Well Jackson’s, but still mine. They seemed happy, even excited to know that this girl was mine. Like if they could pick for me, they’d pick her anyways.  
I didn’t need to answer them, they could sense it. They all patted me on the shoulder, congratulating me like I had won some type of award.  
Jackson approached me, making everyone take a step back from me. The air was silent, making me wonder if he truly was happy that this girl, this human, was mine.  
I watched Jackson closely, the smile growing a little as he laid a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it little. “I bet you can’t wait till Friday.”  
You have no idea.


	3. Chapter 3

POV- Emma

The distance between Hemlock and St. Charles never seemed so long before. I caught myself almost wanting to turn back around, go back to the football field.  
God, why was I feeling like this? I mean, I just met the guy. I know I was one for liking someone just at first glance but I wasn’t even sure I liked this guy yet.  
Sure he was attractive and nice, but I knew nothing about him. And the questions that he asked. Then again, I knew I didn’t mind the questions, I almost felt happy to know he wanted to know so much about me.  
“Stop it Emma, just calm down. You don’t even know the guy, it will fade and you will be back to normal,” I told myself. I wasn’t very convincing.  
It wasn’t until I had pulled up to my road, did I finally settle my mind down. If Rachel or Catherine caught me acting like this, they would immediately start asking questions. Especially Catherine.  
Rachel and I had been friends for 5 years now. Her older sister actually hooked us up. She told us at least a hundred times to hang out. One day in the mall and we became best friends.  
Catherine and I met through Rachel. Catherine was the type of friend that would be the first one to ask questions on boys. I swear she had asked me a hundred questions when I told her about the guys at the football field.  
With every piece of information she got she seemed to be sculpting them in her mind, already picking out my future husband. Rachel was the more girl power one.  
“You don’t need a guy to make you happy or to save you. You can do it all yourself,” was her saying.  
Sadly, I wasn’t like that. Mine was more like, “You don’t need a guy unless a guy wants to be in your life, then take him and run.”  
See the difference?  
We were friends, yet completely different. But we got along, which was why I chose them to be my roommates.  
We lived in a one story house with a huge basement. The basement had a sliding glass door to get outside. The outside held a pool, pond, huge deck, porch, barn, and an old small treehouse that I never had the courage to take down.  
All this sat deep in the woods.  
This was my home, and after my grandparents died I couldn’t give it up. So, I called up some friends, and we turned my house into our house.  
I was always a sucker for woods. Didn’t matter how big the house was, just as long as it was in the woods.  
The upstairs held three rooms, well two rooms and an office, a kitchen, living room, dining room, and two bathrooms. Catherine and Rachel shared the upstairs while I had the whole basement to myself.  
I was the oldest, so I get my own room. So to speak.  
The basement was originally a wide open space minus the ferniest room. It was like an L shape basement. I had my closet, which used to be the furnace and storage room, living room, mini kitchen, and my bedroom.  
My bedroom was towards the very back, the only room closed off. The rest was wide open minus the closet. I had taken down half a wall so I could reach my closet from my bedroom.  
Bathroom? Well that’s upstairs sadly, but I do have a little area with a sink so I can at least get ready down here.  
The car came to a stop in the long driveway. The music turning off at the driver’s door opening. I grabbed my bag, heading into the house where I knew I would be greeted by my friends.  
Sure enough, at the sound of the front door opening, Catherine was hurrying out of the living room to me. Rachel was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled delicious.  
“New Pinterest idea?” I asked Rachel as I walked into the kitchen, setting my bag down next to the basement door.  
Catherine stood next to me, already jumping up and down in excitement.  
Rachel nodded, her back still on me as she flipped over some shrimp. “Yup, Lemon Garlic Shrimp Scampi.”  
“You had me at shrimp,” I said, joining her by the stove top. The smell of the food was enough to make my mouth water. I loved anything that had to do with shrimp or pasta.  
“Well,” Catherine asked, causing me to look at her. She was anxiously waiting for me to tell her how the football field went.  
Do I tell them about Ethan? About how I like him even though I just met him?  
I shrugged, “Nothing, same old, same old. There was a new guy there, one of their friends, he seemed nice.”  
“Your age?” Catherine asked, wiggling her eyebrows at me. With a roll of my eyes, I said, “Yes, but don’t you dare start asking any more questions.”  
I headed towards the basement door, picking up my bag as I said to Rachel behind me, “Call me up if you need any help.”  
Rachel gave me a thumbs up, giving me the cue that it was okay that I headed downstairs.  
The basement never felt like a basement to me. It felt like a home, a mini apartment where I could do anything and be myself.  
With a sigh, my bag was thrown onto the couch and the main light was turned on. I grabbed the remote to my big screen TV, turning it on to a random channel.  
Law and Order SVU  
My clothes were yanked from my body, being throw into the dirty clothes hamper. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a purple shirt out of my closet, slipping them on and fixing my brown hair.  
“Emma!” Rachel’s voice yelled from upstairs. I sighed, jogging up the stairs and swinging the door open.  
“Yeah?” I asked, expecting her to ask me for help with the food. She handed me a piece of mail, her and Catherine’s face looked sympathetic. I gave them a confused look, my eyes looking at the piece of mail that sat in Rachel’s hand.  
From here, I could see where the piece of mailing had come from.  
I snatched the mail from Rachel’s hand, my eyes looking over the piece of paper that held so much hatred.  
“Emma?” Catherine asked, bringing me from my thoughts. My head snapped up to my two friends, starring at both of them as they waited for my reply.  
“Thanks,” I said, turning back to the basement door and heading back down stairs. I walked to where my bed sat, switching on the light and kneeling in front of my bed. A shoe box was pulled out from under my bed, just big enough to hold the piece of paper.  
I opened the box, revealing at least 20 letters, all from the same person. With a sigh, the new letter was thrown into the shoe box, getting tossed back under the bed to be lost once again.  
My butt slumped to the ground, causing my back to lean on the bed behind me. My head was spinning, debating whether or not I should open the new letter that was sent to me. I seemed to have this debate a hundred times in my head, yet the answer was always the same.  
No.  
By dinner time, we all had forgotten about the letter and were ready to eat. Rachel loved trying Pinterest meals and just like most, they were really good.  
We made small talk during dinner, laughing as we recalled memories. After dinner, I helped Catherine with dishes, trying to avoid any questions she asked me.  
I returned to my mini apartment, heading for the door to lock it. I stopped, seeing an animal standing at the edge of the woods. Its gold eyes seemed to be watching me, studding me as if it knew me.  
A lot of animals wander in our woods. Foxes, coyotes, raccoons, ect. But this one, from what I could tell, seemed bigger and more like a stray dog.  
The feeling in my gut was the same feeling I had when I saw Ethan. Comfort, love, and safe. Without another thought, I locked the door, closing the curtains on the starring eyes.  
A chill went up my spine at the thought that eyes were watching me, yet I wasn’t nervous or scared. Just confused.  
I changed into my PJ’s and laid down, getting ready for bed. My dreams are what escaped me from reality but this dream wasn’t taking me from reality. It was bringing me back to it.  
The wind brushed against my face, the sound of frogs chirping was the only sound I heard.  
A buff figure ran up next to me, making me quickly turn my head to find Ethan. “Late night run?”  
“Yeah, needed to clear my head, you?” I asked, focusing back on the run.  
“Was walking by, saw you running, thought I’d see why,” Ethan said with a shrug, making me look to find him in jeans and a jacket around him.  
I stopped, taking a deep breath as I sat my hands on my hips. My eyes looked over Ethan, smiling as I found nothing wrong with him. He could be wearing a dress and I’d still find him attractive.  
Suddenly his eyes changed to a gold color, the same gold eyes that were staring at me in the woods. Confusion filled me as he kept his kind smile on his face.  
“Don’t be scared, I’m not going to hurt you. I could never hurt you.”  
I shot up from the bed, my eyes flying open as my head looked around at my empty road.  
One word, one name kept being pushed around in my head, begging to be spoke aloud.  
“Ethan.”


	4. Chapter 4

POV- Emma

I tied up my shoes, letting out a huff as I stared at the track before me. A run would help clear my thoughts and rejuvenate me.  
My feet soon carried me around the field, my eyes occasionally looking to find empty bleachers. They wouldn’t expect me until tomorrow, so I knew they wouldn’t be here.  
Yet, my eyes continuously looked for them. For him.  
I shook my head, focusing back on the track in front of me. Suddenly my feet screeched to a stop, my eyes wide at the sight that was only a half a mile away from me.  
A man.  
“You shouldn’t be here!” I yelled to the guy taking a few steps towards him cautiously.  
The man was too far away for me to see who it was, but seconds later, and I didn’t need to. The mystery man took a step out, bending down so he was on his hands and feet.  
In a matter of seconds, the man was no longer a man, but a wolf. A big, black and brown wolf.  
My gut told me to stay still, to not move a muscle or risk being shredded. But my mind had other plains, and my feet listened, carrying me to the nearest side of the fence.  
My heart raced while my head looked behind me to watch the wolf charge for me. It was fast, faster than I was. In a matter of seconds, it would be on top of me, shredding me.  
Then I hit it, the fence. I wasted no time in pushing myself up and over the fence, only looking back for a quick second to see the wolf still charging for me, only a few inches away.  
Wasting no more time, I started to run towards my red truck. The red, hinting towards my future that would soon become my reality.  
As if on cue, my feet stumbled over one another, causing my body to crash and roll to the ground in a hard motion. A groan left my lips as I sat up, only to come face to face with the giant wolf.  
His sharp white teeth chomped at me, a deep and heavy growl coming from his chest. I sat still, my body almost shaking in fear as I was merely an inch away from him.  
His breath smelled of some type of meat, only turning my stomach even more. Dark brown eyes starred at me, a hint of red in them as they looked into my green and blue eyes.  
In the corner of my eye, I saw it, another wolf. Now there really wasn’t anything I could do. I was dead.  
The new wolf, crashed into the brown and black wolf, causing them both to stumble to the ground in a brawl. My eyes watched the two wolves wrestle on the cement.  
This new wolf was a light brown and grey color, looking nicer than the other one if that was even possible.  
Quickly I stood to my shaking feet, turning to run for my truck. There I saw it, four more wolves. The one closes to me was a large black and white wolf. On its right stood a black and dark blue wolf. On its left stood two similar wolves, one pure grey, looking almost young while the other looked older in its grey but also showing some white.  
I stood still, expecting them to attack me. But they ran right past me, helping the brown and grey colored wolf. My head looked back at the group of wolves, seeing the grey and brown wolf retreat from the giant black and brown wolf.  
The black and white wolf took a few steps forward, growling at the other wolf. In seconds, the black and brown wolf left, retreating to the near-by woods.  
I wanted to move, but I couldn’t. It was as if my feet were glued to the ground and my eyes were magnetic to the wolves that just saved my life.  
They all turned to look at me, their teeth gone back into their hidden mouths. They jogged back into the woods, but the brown and grey wolf stood near me, looking at me with its light green eyes that held some gold.  
The eyes looked familiar as they peered into my soul, studying every movement of mine. These eyes were eyes that I’ve seen before; in my dreams, in a man that I just recently talked to.  
“Ethan?” I asked, feeling crazy for even thinking that this wolf could actually be a person. As if the sound of the name familiarized him, his ears perked up and he continued to look at me for only a few more seconds before joining the other wolves into the woods.  
My heart was racing and my mind was scattered, making me question whether or not I’d even make it home. But, I managed to pull myself together and get into my red truck to return home.  
The scene that just occurred before me continuously replayed in my head like a broken DVD player. The brown and grey wolf with his light green and gold eyes seemed to have left a special imprint in my mind.  
I wasn’t scared of any of them, except the black and brown wolf that tried to kill me. The rest, seemed harmless to me. Or at least at the time they did.  
Once I made it home, I wasted no home in entering the basement door. My heart raced as I leaned on the door, my eyes scanning the room before me while my mind wandered to the craziest of things.  
Movies.  
The thing that just occurred to me was only existent in movies, yet I just witnessed it in real life. Maybe I’m crazy? Maybe it was a dream? Maybe I’m sick?  
All these questions appeared in my head, yet none seemed right. I’m not crazy. I have strange dreams, but there was no way in hell that this could be one of them. And the last time I checked I was as healthy as a horse.  
I had to see Ethan and the guys again, question them. I can’t just sit here and wait till tomorrow, I’m not even sure if I could sleep tonight.  
There was only one thing I could do.  
My hand gripped the door again, yanking it open and closing it behind me as I quickly headed for my truck. The drive back to the football field seemed more stressful then when I had left there.  
As I got closer and closer to the football field, I started to rethink my urge to return. What if the man/wolf was still there? What if I was misreading everything and those wolves were still there, ready to attack?  
The truck came to a stop but my body couldn’t move. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly while my eyes stared nervously at the empty football field. A debate was going on in my head, but both sides seemed to have their pros and cons already set and locked in.  
“Come on Emma,” I whispered, trying to give myself a pep-talk.  
Without another thought, I grabbed ahold of the handle and jumped out of the truck, grabbing my red sweatshirt that sat in the passenger seat. I slipped it on as I walked to the football field, the sun just slipping down.  
The sunset made the field look beautiful. The way the colors danced and bounced off of the bleachers only heightened the beauty of sunsets. But I wasn’t here to admire the sunset.  
I climbed over the fence, making my way over to the bleachers. When my butt made contact with the metal bleachers I regretted coming.  
Just stay until nightfall, then leave and ask the guys tomorrow. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to wait till tomorrow. I know me all too well to know that I’d probably stay here all night.  
My body seemed to relax at the sight of Ethan walking across the field, over to me. Quickly, I stood up, climbing down the bleachers until we both met at the bottom of them.  
I had come here to ask questions, yet no words were able to run from my mouth. Instead, my mouth just hung open like a fool.  
“Are you okay?” Ethan asked with a nervous look in his eyes. The way his eyes starred into mine told me that I was right about everything.  
“So I’m not crazy? Everything I saw was real?” I asked, sounding crazy as the words left my lips. But the craziness soon left when Ethan slowly nodded to me.  
My mouth dropped while my eyes looked around as if expecting for all of this to be a dream. It wasn’t.  
“How?” I asked, not knowing what else to ask at the moment. Might as well start at the beginning.  
Ethan smiled as he looked at the ground, kicking his foot on the grass. His head looked at me for a moment before it nodded to behind him, “Why don’t we walk and I can explain.”  
I stared at Ethan, unsure if going anywhere with him was a good idea at the moment. But something told me that if I wanted answers, I’d have to go with him.  
I took a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever was going to come next. Either could answer every question I had, or kill me. Hopefully not the last one. My feet pushed me forward, carrying me as Ethan and I started to slowly walk back to the parking lot.  
No way was I riding in a car with him.  
“So, were you born like this?” I asked, sticking my hands in my sweatshirt while Ethan stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans.  
“Yeah, but most others get turned.”  
“Turned?” I asked, looking at him confused.  
Ethan shrugged and chuckled, “Yeah, that’s the best way I can say it. See, most werewolves are bitten and turned into a wolf. In the beginning their bounded by the full moon, but after a lot of control and practice they can change whenever they want.”  
“And if you’re born with it?” I asked, shocking myself at how calm I sounded.  
“Then you can change whenever, full moons only make you stronger.”  
I nodded as we approached the fence. Ethan started to climb it while I stood still and asked, “So, any special gifts.”  
Ethan stopped at the top and chuckled, “Yeah, a few.” He jumped off the top of the fence and landed perfectly on the other side.  
I slid my fingers into the rings of the fence, looking at Ethan through the fence. “Let me guess, claws, strength, speed, and hearing.”  
An admiring smile appeared on Ethan’s face as he looked at me through the fence. “Yeah, something like that,” He said, just loud enough for me to hear him. The way he starred at me made me think he was flirting with me.  
We both stood still, admiring each other with nothing but the fence keeping us apart. The way I felt around him, calm and strength seemed to serge through me like fire.  
If I let myself, I wander how much longer we would have staid like that.  
I cleared my throat and took a step back, creating a space between Ethan and I. Slowly I crawled up the fence, the question releasing itself as I climbed. “Those other wolves, are they-?” I started, but stopped myself when I got to the top.  
“My friends?” Ethan asked, watching me swing my leg over and climb down, landing right by him. I nodded to him, waiting for him to answer. “Yeah. Jackson, he was the black and white wolf, he’s are Alpha. Liam, he was the grey wolf, he’s are newest member. Lucas was the grey with a little white wolf. Daniel was the black and dark blue one. And I-“  
“Was the light brown and grey one,” I finished for him, not realizing I was smiling until after I said those words.  
Why was I smiling? I should be freaking out, running home, or deny all of it. Yet, no matter how much I tried to convince my mind to think those things, it wouldn’t. It was focused on one thing, Ethan.  
A sigh left my lips as I leaned my back onto the fence, shaking my head, “This is crazy.”  
“I’d be more worried if you thought it was normal,” Ethan cracked a smirk, making a soft laugh leave my lips.  
My eyebrows furred in confusion, “That man, the one that tried to attack me. Who was he?” I asked, pulling my eyes to meet Ethan’s again. His smiling, soft expression changed to a worried, angry one. This caused my mind to race and beg my lips to take it back. But I needed answers.  
“His name is Michael. His bloodline was one of the first bloodlines to receive the werewolf gene. But, his parents died when he was just a boy, so he didn’t learn to control that kind of power.”  
“Is that why he’s so, angry,” I said, my mind thinking of other words, but angry was the one that came out first.  
Ethan laughed, tipping his head back before shaking it, “No. He needed a pack, so when he found out that his best friend was a wolf, he joined him. But, when you have the werewolf gene built inside you, you tend to be more of an alpha then just a member of the pack. So he challenged his friend, and lost. How, no one knows. But he’s wanted that alpha title for years, and he’s still trying to get it.”  
His words connected in my brain like wires, shocking me every now and then when they would click. Surprisingly, my mind was able to put the pieces together faster than it could put together a puzzle.  
“Jackson was his friend,” I said, studying Ethan to see if I was right.  
Ethan didn’t say a word, or make any kind of movements to deny or agree with me. But his eyes, his eyes told me otherwise. His eyes told me I was right.  
Suddenly, my phone went off in my pocket, making me jump at the sudden sound. I let out a breath before reaching in and answering it, Rachel.  
“Hey, are you joining us for dinner or do you want me to just throw it in the fridge for later?” Rachel asked, completely oblivious to everything that had happened today, or to the conversation that was going right now.  
My eyes looked at the ground, “Um, I’ll be there soon,” Was all I could say before I yanked my phone down and hung up on my friend.  
Silence filled Ethan and I for a second as I shoved my phone in my sweatshirt pocket. I didn’t look at Ethan until he spoke again, “You can’t tell anyone what you saw today, or what you’ve heard.”  
Nodding, my eyes started to look around, as if they were looking for someone or something else to focus on. “Yeah, I kind of figured,” I said with a sigh. This was all still overwhelming, yet made better sense in my mind then my Chemistry used too.  
I met Ethan’s eyes, asking, “I’ll see you tomorrow?” The question came out with hope, hope that this wouldn’t be the last conversation I’d have with him.  
Ethan’s mouth dropped slightly, clearly surprised to hear me just accept all of this and continue on like it was nothing. He quickly closed it after a minute before nodding, whispering out a, “Yes” with a breath.  
My mouth gave him a reassuring smile before I shoved my hands back into my sweatshirt pocket and walked off to the truck. My mind was racing, yet when I sat in the truck and lifted my hands onto the wheel, it seemed to settle. I looked back, surprised to see Ethan still standing there, watching me like a hawk.  
Taking a deep breath, I started the truck before pulling out of the school parking lot.  
Tomorrow should be interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

POV- Emma

Last night, I got practically no sleep. I mean, I’d be more surprised if I slept like a baby, but last night was impossible. Not only did my mind not settle, but every time I closed my eyes it seemed to replay everything that happened yesterday. Finally, I resorted to just watching Netflix until the next morning.  
I ate breakfast in silence, deciding to join Rachel and Catheryn upstairs since I missed dinner with them.  
Usually our meals would be filled with long talks or gossip about someone. Today, Rachel and Catheryn were the only ones holding up the conversation.  
“Emma, earth to Emma,” Rachel said, waving her hand in front of my face. I blinked a few times before meeting her eyes, “Yeah?” I asked, clueless to whatever she was just talking about.  
Whoops.  
“What is going on with you?” Catheryn asked confusingly.  
A sigh left my lips as I looked at my half eaten breakfast, “Sorry, I’ve just been side tracked.” Shaking my head, I reached behind me and grabbed my bag, standing up and facing my friends, “I’m going for my run. I’ll talk to you guys later.”  
Without another word, I made my way out the front door. The drive to the school was uneventful and silent, making me switch on the radio in hopes of calming my body.  
It felt as if my body just had a whole pot of coffee and was shaking, yet if I held up my hand it showed no movement.  
“Breathe Emma, your fine,” I whispered to myself, once again trying to compose myself.  
As the school came into view, I found my eyes already looking towards the bleachers for Ethan or the group. I couldn’t see anyone, but I didn’t lose hope that if I got out and walked over there, I’d find them goofing around on the bleachers again.  
I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder, holding onto the strap tightly as I made my way to the fence.  
My free hand grabbed the fence, looking through it to find no one was on the football field, not a soul. A sigh left my lips as I looked out at the abandon field, my mind debating if I should stay and run or just leave. I didn’t want to turn around and go back home, facing Rachel and Catheryn’s many questions but staying here alone just made me feel uneasy.  
“Hey,” A voice said behind me, making me jump and quickly turn around, my back against the fence. A sigh of relief left my lips as I faced Ethan who stood in jeans and a loose hoodie, his hands shoved into the hoody.   
“You came,” I breathed out, hating how much I relied on Ethan being here. I mean, I was whiling to leave and go back home if he didn't show up.  
Ethan didn’t miss the relief I held, smiling slightly at it.  
The sound of laughter behind me, made me turn, looking through the wired fence again to find Jackson, Lucas, Liam, and Daniel climbing up the bleachers, their eyes continuously flashing towards Ethan and I.  
“They know, you know,” Ethan said, as if he had read the un-thought question that was about to pop into my head. A hum left my lips, making my lips vibrate as I watched the four friends watch us.  
My eyes moved to the ground, my teeth pulling in my bottom lip, a habit of mine I could never stop. Soon, I found myself climbing over the fence, making my way over to the four friends. I didn’t bother to look behind me to see if Ethan was following me or not, yet I could feel him keeping in step behind me.  
As I approached the bleachers where the five friends stood, Jackson was the first to stand and take a step down, watching me closely with an unreadable expression.  
Slowly, I opened my mouth, letting whatever words chose to come out. “I’m assuming that you know, that I know what you are. So I wanted to say thank you, for saving my life yesterday.”   
Everyone looked at Jackson, as if waiting for him to say something or make a move that would determine if they’d accept my thanks or deny it and kill me.  
Jackson stared at me for a good minute at the words left my lips before his footsteps down the bleacher grew heavy, almost shaking the whole thing. At this action, Lucas, Liam, and Daniel quickly rose to their feet. Their looks made my heart skip a beat and my feet to take a step back.  
Soon, I was standing face to face with Jackson, his breath hitting my face lightly as he stared at me with studding eyes.  
Ethan’s voice came close behind me, almost making me jump, “Jackson, don’t.” The way he spoke was threatening, as if he knew what Jackson was thinking and if he did it, he’d start a fight with him.  
Jackson glanced over at Ethan. Whatever Ethan did, it made Jackson’s eyes look back to me. His expression, at first, didn’t change, but when it did, I grew worried. He lifted his studying expression to a smirk, tilting his head slightly to the side. The words that left his lips confused me, “I guess we should test the theory.”  
Suddenly, I’m snatched at the arms, his grip tight as he held me in place. A gasp left my lips as my body jumps, struggling to creep out of Jackson’s grip.  
Then I heard it. A growl is left behind me, making me look over my shoulder to face Ethan. Another gasp leaves my lips as I see Ethan’s light green eyes are now a piercing and beautiful gold. But that didn’t shock me the most, what shocked me was his body. His breathing had risen to the point I thought he might be having a panic attack. I could see his veins from his neck go down under his sweatshirt. His hands had rolled into hard fists, ready to strike a punch at the first threat.  
Quickly, I turned and met Jackson’s eyes, seeing the playfulness in them. Slowly, he let go of my arms and smirked towards Ethan before taking a small step back.  
“Well, that worked for him,” Jackson said, his eyes moving back to me, “Now it’s your turn.”  
The confusion level I was feeling was beyond the bar. My mind was starting to regret coming here. I should have just gone home, or left Jackson and the group alone.  
Taking slow steps, Jackson walked over to Ethan who was still fuming with anger. The second Jackson’s hand touched Ethan’s shoulder, all of that fuming left and his breathing calmed down, causing his eyes to go back to their light green.  
A laugh left Jackson’s lips as he stretched his arm around Ethan, pulling him along as they walked back up the bleachers. “You know the drill Ethan, we’re just playing it safe.”  
“I already told you, she’s different,” Ethan said, his voice full of anger and annoyance. My eyes watched every step they took, my breath caught in my throat as they reached the top.  
Lucas, Liam, and Daniel didn’t make any movements or noise as Jackson nodded and turned to fully look at Ethan. Jackson’s voice carried to the bottom bleachers where I stood, “I know, but we need to know for sure.” Jackson released his grip on Ethan, only holding on hand on his shoulder, “Sorry about this.”  
Suddenly, one push threw Ethan off the top of the bleachers. I almost screamed as I ran to the railing on the side, almost throwing myself off of it as I looked towards the ground.  
A huge sigh of relief left my lips as I saw Ethan standing on his two feet, perfectly fine. His eyes met mine, giving me a look that said “Sorry about that”.  
Laughter filled my ears, making me turn to find Daniel, Lucas, and Liam in a fit of laughs. My eyes quickly went to Jackson who looked down at Ethan with a smirk, his arms crossed over his chest before he looked back at me.  
He was the alpha of his pack, yet that had left my mind as I stormed up to him, my voice raising as I talked. “You almost killed him! You idiot! He could have died or broken something!” By now, I stood at the bleacher below him, feeling my hands squeeze into fists.   
Apparently what I was doing was unusual because the laughter behind me stopped and Jackson’s smirk dropped to a frown.   
I pointed my finger at Jackson, feeling like a mother who was punishing her son. The son being a werewolf, alpha, and older than me.  
A scream left my lips when I felt Jackson, at the speed of lightening, grab me by my waste and fling me over the top railing. The rush of air brushed my body, letting the scream carry. I prepared my body to slam against the ground, breaking every bone in it. Instead, I was met with strong arms, wrapping their way around my legs and back, holding me high up off the ground.  
My eyes were met with beautiful light green ones, calming my shaking body and stopping my screams. Out of instincts, my arms had already found their way around Ethan’s neck, holding me in his arms.  
Looking up at Jackson, his voice filled both Ethan and my’s ears. “Tonight, bonfire, be there!” His unreadable face was filled with a giant smile, happy he just threw me off the bleachers.  
“He’s crazy,” I breathed out, my eyes watching as Jackson walked down the bleachers. Liam, Lucas, and Daniel laughed, pushing each other around before racing down the bleachers.   
“Yeah, he is,” Ethan said, making me look back at him, meeting his eyes once again. It seemed every time I’d turn away and looked back at him, my eyes seemed to connect to his right away. No search needed.   
Ethan sat me down, keeping one arm around my waste to steady me then dropping it back to his side. My eyes looked behind me, not spotting the boys anymore.  
As I turned to look back at Ethan, the words “bonfire” and “tonight” hung in my head. “What bonfire tonight?” I couldn’t help but ask, causing Ethan to smile in amusement. “At least once a week we have a bonfire; it’s to remind us where we come from. You should come, there’s food, stories, and you can meet people that are like you.”  
My eyebrows rose at that, “Like me?” I asked, cracking a smirk.  
Ethan nodded, “Uh, human,” He said, seeming to search for the right word.  
My mind pondered the invite, making me question if it was a smart idea leaving my friends again tonight to go to a place I’ve never been to, with people I really don’t know.  
Something tells me that even if I had a million and one things to do tonight, I still wouldn’t have stopped myself from saying, “Okay, I’ll be there.” Ethan, knowing where the place was, offered to pick me up. But trying to explain to Catheryn and Rachel why a guy I had never mentioned was picking me up late at night would only raise more questions than.   
I soon came up with the idea of driving to the school, letting Ethan pick me up and take me to this mysterious place. Granted, I’d have no way of getting back without him, but in that moment I didn’t care.  
For me, parties and gatherings with people that weren’t Catheryn and Rachel never seemed too popped up. Especially not one that was just full of guys. None the less, I agreed to this bonfire and ran for an hour before deciding to return home.  
Walking into the basement, I closed the door behind me before tossing my bag to the floor. Peeling off my clothes, I switched into some jeans and a simple red shirt. I grabbed a purple sweatshirt from my closet and sat it next to the door, reminding me to grab it on my way out.  
Suddenly, the sound of the basement door opening and footsteps racing down the stairs made me greet the person with curious eyes. Rachel. She looked at me with a huff, as if she was the one who had just ran four miles.  
“Hey,” I said, surprised to see her actually entering my basement. Usually, she just stayed upstairs and I went up there, today she was coming to me.  
“There’s another letter,” She said, outstretching her hand, revealing a similar letter that was given to me a few days ago. A sigh left my lips as I stared at the letter, snatching it out of Rachel’s hand and throwing it on the table behind me.  
My body and focus turned back to my friend, ignoring the letter behind me. “So, I won’t be here for dinner again, sorry,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.  
Rachel’s eyes flashed back and forth from me to the letter. “Aren’t you going to open it?” She asked, causing me to shrug casually to her. “Why should I? Anyways, I’m sorry for last night and this morning. I promise that one of these nights you, Catheryn, and I will drink wine and watch anime till you two can’t take anymore of it.”  
Rachel’s eyes moved to a confused look as she shook her head, “I don’t care about watching anime or that between yesterday and today you seem to be out of it. I care that that’s the second letter this week that you’ve received and you haven’t opened either of them. I mean don’t you want to know what they say?”  
A scuff left my lips, “No. What’s written in that letter is probable the exact same thing that is said in the old voicemails. I told you I needed my space, I thought you understood that?”   
“Understand what?” Rachel yelled, throwing her arms up, her stressing showing in her face. “That you choose to ignore your dad’s letters from Rehab after you told him the only way he’s ever going to see you again is if he gets help? Or the fact that your mom stopped calling you because you stopped answering her calls? God, she resorts to calling Catheryn and I because she’s worried you might be laying on the side of the road dead.”  
“She knows where I live,” I replied, choosing to ignore the comments of my father.  
Letting out a long, heavy sigh, Rachel breathes, “That’s not the point.”  
Releasing my arms and putting them up to stop her from going any further, I said, “Listen, I have to finish up some work and then I’m going. If you want to read my personal letters from my dad, then go ahead, because I’m not.” With that, I grabbed the letter and walked over to my bed, kneeling down in front of it, and grabbing the shoe box that sat under it.  
Once the letter joined the rest and I stood up, I turned to find Rachel storming up the stairs, the door slamming shut behind her.  
My body slumped onto my bed, my hands setting in my lap as I looked at the ground in shame. I know that Rachel’s just trying to be helpful, I mean she’s been one of the most understanding person when it came to my family. But I think she finally just got tired of the closed doors and lack of trying when it came to my parents.  
Believe it or not, I wasn’t trying to push them away. I mean, I was, but only because they deserved it. Sometimes it’s better to let someone go then to keep them by you.  
I decided to get some work down since I still had time before I was leaving to meet Ethan. My job was simple, involving me not needing to leave the house. I wrote for the paper, a section dedicated to my many strange dreams. I also helped put some of the other sections together or went through to decide what went in and what stayed out. All of this in the comfort of my laptop.  
The radio played in the background as I typed away on the computer, sorted out sections, or organized the many emails that were sent with possible candidates for the paper.  
By the time the clock striked 4:45 and my alarm went off to remind me to get going; I had more than half of my work completed.   
Grabbing my sweatshirt, phone, money, and license I headed out to my truck. To my surprise, this drive was lest nerve racking, unlike the many nerve racking rides I’ve had so far this week.  
I felt bad I didn’t say goodbye to Rachel or Catheryn, so when I arrived at the school I shot them both a text saying, “Sorry about the fight. I’ll be out tonight for work so don’t wait up.”  
My head looked up to find Ethan pulling up in a dark blue truck, parking right next to me.   
Grabbing my sweatshirt, I made my way out of my truck and met Ethan behind his. “So, where is this great bonfire that I must go too,” I asked, making the bonfire sound elaborate, as if it was the talk of the town.  
Ethan smiled and walked around me, opening up the passenger door with a small laugh, “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”  
I eyed Ethan, a small voice in the back of my mind telling me to get back into my truck and go home. The voice was so low that calling it Jiminy Cricket would be a disgrace. So, I didn’t listen and got in the truck with Ethan.


	6. Chapter 6

POV- Emma

The light sound of music played in the background as Ethan drove. We had just pulled out of the school parking lot when I cracked a question. “So, what exactly am I supposed to expect going to a werewolf bonfire?”  
Laughing more so at the name than anything else, Ethan said, “Well we’re not going to be running around with our shirts off if that’s what you’re thinking.” I couldn’t help but laugh at his crazy reply. After the laughter died down, Ethan got a bit serious, “The only thing you need to worry about is getting too stuffed. When it comes to our bonfires, there’s more food than people.”  
“Let me guess though, you tend to eat most of it anyway,” I asked, looking over at Ethan.  
It was so strange how this was only my fourth time talking with Ethan and I had already felt like we’d been best friends for years. Like, if I made some crazy comment, he’s get it and we’d laugh about it until he was taking me home again.  
“Who all will be there?” I asked, already assuming Lucas, Liam, Daniel, and Jackson would be there, but wondered who he meant when he said “other humans”.  
Ethan let out a small sigh, his eyes fixed on the road. If he still didn’t have a smile on his face, I would have thought he might have gotten irritated with my questions.  
“Daniel, Liam, Lucas, and Jackson will be there. Along with Jackson’s wife Erika, Daniel’s sister, Maria, and my grandfather Eric,” Ethan named off the people.  
I don’t know what surprised me more, the fact Jackson was married, that Daniel had a sister, or that Ethan’s grandfather was going to be there. My mouth open, causing the questions to mumble together, creating a light questionable noise to leave my lips in surprise.  
A laugh erupted from Ethan, causing a giant smile to fall onto my face. His laugh, it was so loving, so sweet and joyful. I wanted to crack another joke or make the noise again just so I could hear his laugh again.  
“I didn’t even know Jackson was married, or that Daniel had a sister,” I said, my eyes returning to the road. As I looked around, I realized I had no idea where I was.  
Nodding in agreement, Ethan said, “Yeah, most people don’t. Besides, when have you gotten the chance to get to know them?”  
My mouth dropped slightly with a smile, “I’ll have you know I know my boys very well, thank you very much.”  
“Your boys?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow over to me. I nodded, “Yes, that’s what I’ve called them since we made the whole deal at the football field. And back to knowing them, I know Daniel loves music. I know Liam and Lucas are brothers, and that Liam usually gets dared the most because he’s the youngest. And I knew even before I found out what you guys were that Jackson was the oldest, and the one most likely in charged.”  
Ethan looked over at me, his eyes showing the amusement that ran through his body. Before he could open his mouth to respond to my knowledge, I added, “And, I know that you lived in Colorado, Alaska, and now Hemlock.”  
For a minute, it was as if Ethan had no idea that he told me those things. Then, as if a light bulb lit above his head, he returned to his amused, smiling expression and nodded, “Okay, you got me.”  
I wanted to smile in victory and raise my fist up in excitement, but instead I just went with a victory smirk and nodded once to confirm him. Then, he ruined it, “But I know more about you. Like, you love to run and your nickname is “the runner”.”  
Quickly I cut in, “Only Liam, Lucas, Jackson, and Daniel actually call me “the runner”.  
Ethan nodded, as if accepting that before moving on, “And that you used to live in Hemlock.” “How did you know I used to live in Hemlock?” I asked, not recalling that I had mentioned it to him.  
“Because, why else would you have gone to Hemlock? Especially since you live in St. Charles and there’s a perfectly fine school there.”  
My eyebrows furred together in confusion and my smile fell, “I never told you I lived in St. Charles.”  
His mouth quickly dropped and a panicked look rose in his eyes as he stared at the road. Clearly, his mind was searching for something to say, but no words would come out. After half a minute past, I was beginning to rethink coming with Ethan.  
“I just figured that’s where you lived. I know you couldn’t have lived to far and the way you were driving told me you were going to St. Charles or somewhere near it,” Ethan said, after glancing over at me and seeing the discomfort.  
Deciding to drop the subject and focus on something else, I asked, “Where are we going anyways?”  
My question seemed to ease Ethan because he let out a shaky sigh before responding with, “Huntington Woods, Michigan.”  
My eyes went wide, and I quickly turned my head to look at the driver. “That’s like an hour away! You can’t be serious!” I yelled, feeling bad for yelling at Ethan so suddenly.  
“Just hang in there, we don’t have to far to go anyways, besides, I know a shortcut,” Ethan said, glancing over at me. I could tell he was trying to calm me down because I turned up the radio and paid back attention to the road with no other words to follow.  
I couldn’t help but mumble underneath my breath, “I can’t believe he drives all the way out to Hemlock.”  
“I don’t,” Ethan responded, making me jump and look at him with a shocked expression. He smiled at my jump and pointed to his ears, “Good hearing, remember?” My body calmed down a bit at that, recalling that he was a wolf and that his hearing was incredible.  
Apparently, I have to watch what I say out loud around him and the boys.  
Ethan continued explaining, “I live in Hemlock. Huntington Woods is just where the bonfire is, it’s where my grandfather lives.”  
That made more sense. And if he was right about the whole “telling stories and the history of wolves” then I’d probably want to talk about it somewhere outside of my town too.  
Deciding to just keep my mouth shut until we got there, I stared out the window, making a mental note of everything I passed in case I had to leave by myself or needed to come back. It wasn’t even ten minutes later when we turned down a woodsy trail, the truck jumping around a bit.  
When I was a kid, I would get car sickness and this trail would have made me spill up the mini lunch I had.  
Soon, a beautiful three story house came into view. It held a cabin like feel and a medium size field surrounded the back of it before leading back into more woods. No one would know this place was back here unless they went all the way to the back.  
A mini pull barn sat towards the back, left of the house while a bonfire sat more to the front left of the house. To the right was nothing but grass, filled with cars and trucks. There sat a big black truck, a simple white car, an open jeep, and a dark green van.  
Ethan parked next to the black truck, looking at me with a smile, “You ready?”  
Taking in a big breath, I nodded before opening up the truck door. I stuffed my money and license into my pocket before grabbing my phone and sweatshirt. I met Ethan behind the truck we walked simultaneously to the side of the house. As we got closer, the faint sound of music was heard and the sound of Daniel’s voice was heard clear across the lawn.  
As we came closer, I saw a sliding glass door on the side of the house, wide open to the world. Two large picnic tables had been pushed together, holding some food on it, along with plates and silverware. Close by sat a large grill, an older-looking man with grey hair stood in front of it, controlling the food. Behind that a bit sat the bonfire. It hadn’t been lit yet, but logs and chairs sat all around it, making me wonder if I should have brought a chair. Over by the sliding glass doors sat a large pile of wood, a guy who looked like Jackson grabbing some pieces before rearranging them in the pit.  
I couldn’t spot Lucas or Liam, but Daniel was fiddling around with a radio that sat on a mini table on the other side of the glass door.  
“Eric, one of these days I’m going to introduce you to the IPhone, or even IPod so you can throw this piece of crap away,” Daniel said, frustrated with trying to balance the static and the music.  
“All if needs is some love,” Ethan said, causing the man at the grill, Jackson, and Daniel to look over to him. “Or at least that’s what he always told me,” Ethan cracked a half smirk, half smile.  
The man at the grill smiled widely, making me think he was Ethan’s grandfather. “Ethan! You’re here!” Eric said, walking over and giving him a huge hug.  
“I see the runner joined us tonight, bet she ran all the way here,” Daniel said, making me throw him a fake laugh that he threw back at me.  
Eric pulled away, looking at his grandson with joy, “How are you doing?” “Good,” Ethan nodded, making the joyish look on Eric’s face grow, “Great!” His attention then turned to me, his eyebrows raising as he pulled completely away from Ethan. “And who is this beautiful lady?”  
“This is Emma,” Ethan said, his hand laying on my back, giving me a slight push as if he knew I’d just stand there awkwardly if he didn’t.  
“Ah, Emma, beautiful name, my name is Eric, Ethan’s grandfather,” Eric said, nodding with every other word that left his lips. Clearly this man was very happy, especially around Ethan.  
I nodded, holding out my hand, “Thank you, and it’s nice to meet you.” Eric took my hand, not shaking it at us, instead he sat his other hand over his own and closed his eyes. Immediately, the uncomfortable feeling I had for only a minute in the car came back, making me want to pull my hand away. Yet, the warmth of this man’s hand reminded me a lot of my own grandpa’s hand, making me feel relaxed.  
Daniel let out a huge laugh at the radio as he watched my warm, welcoming expression change to an uncomfortable one, back to a comforting one. “Ethan, it looks like your girl is freaked out a bit.”  
“Sorry, my grandfather tends to do this, he’s trying to sense your personality,” Ethan explained before laying a hand on Eric’s shoulder. “Hey, you don’t want to scare her off before she even eats.”  
Eric pulled away and nodded, “Of course, though if she’s here she must not get scared very easily.”  
Though he didn’t say it, I knew Eric was referring to the whole wolf thing, making me wonder if he was one as well. Before I could ask, Daniel cut in, “Ah, Eric, the food.”  
I peeked behind Eric as he turned, noticing Jackson flipping the burgers. “Jackson! Get away from my grill!” Eric yelled, fast walking over to him. Jackson stepped side, cracking a wide smile, “Hey, just making sure you don’t burn the food.”  
Eric finished flipping the last two burgers before pointing his spatula at Jackson, “I don’t touch you truck, you don’t tuck my grill, those are the rules and if you choose to not follow them, I’ll be kicking your ass clear out of here.”  
My eyes went wide at the way Eric talked to Jackson, sure that he would get hit or stared down at. Instead, Jackson let out a laugh, patting Eric’s shoulder as he returned to the food, “I know, I know.”  
A sound similar to the one I made in the truck left my lips as I pointed to the two, looking over at Ethan in shock, “How? What?”  
Ethan laughed at the sound and reaction once again before giving me a minute to come up with a full sentence.  
“Why didn’t he get mad at Eric? Or throw him off the bleachers?” I asked, referring to what had happened at the school. My body was still shaking on the inside at the thought of almost falling to my death if it wasn’t for Ethan.  
Explaining, Ethan said, “Eric is an elder Alpha, even Alpha’s have respect for their elders since they came before them.”  
“So, Eric’s a wolf,” I confirmed with Ethan. He surprised me when he shook his head, “No. He used to be, but not anymore.” My eyes went wide at those words, raising up even more questions.  
“How-“ I started but was cut off by Lucas’ voice. “Emma, you’re here! Just in time to help set the table,” Lucas said as he walked outside.  
Ethan let out a small chuckle, “I’ll explain later, let me finish introducing you.” It wasn’t until I was lightly pushed forward again that I realized Ethan’s hand was still on my back. It was so comforting and warm that I barley even noticed.  
We walked inside and I was immediately greeted by a large kitchen. The counter had made a C shape, leaving stools on one side of it to sit at. Liam sat in one of the stools, laying his head on his hand as he stared off with annoyance. Two girls stood behind the counter, one mixing up fruit while the other seemed to be getting something out of the fridge.  
The girl mixing the fruit looked to be about 23, 24 years old. She had black hair like a raven, causing a small chill to go up my back at the sight of her. Her hair was pulled back into a high pony-tale, revealing a few small scars on left side of her neck.  
Moving away from the fridge, the other girl pulled out a huge platter of red Jell-O making my mouth water at the sight of it.  
Getting a better view of the second girl, I realized she had a lighter batch of black hair, her’s mixed with caramel highlights. This girl looked to be about 18, 19 years old, making me think that this girl had to be Daniel’s little sister, placing the other girl to be Jackson’s wife.  
“Liam, I asked you to dump those chips into those two bowls ten minutes ago,” The girl I assumed to be Jackson’s wife said, looking up at the young boy.  
A groan left Liam’s voice as he turned in the stool, scooching off before noticing Ethan and I standing in the doorway. “Ethan! Emma! Great, just in time!” Liam explained happily as he walked over to us. Laying a hand on my shoulder, Liam looked at the two girls that stared over at us, “Look, a new victim, I mean helper.”  
“Liam-“ Daniel’s younger sister started to yell but was cut off by Jackson’s wife, “Don’t even bother Maria, he’ll just do it wrong anyways.”  
Moving out behind the counter and walking over to Ethan, Jackson’s wife held out her arms with a wide smile, “Ethan! Great to see you!” “You too Erika,” Ethan said, hugging Erika. At the action, I got a ting of jealously, making my stomach tighten and an uncomfortable feeling set in.  
As Erika let go, her eyes looked over to me, causing my eyes to go wide. Her eye color, silver and light blue, it was so unique and somewhat beautiful the way the colors formed together.  
“Who is this?”  
“This is Emma, Emma this is Jackson’s wife Erika. And over by the counter is Maria, Daniel’s little sister,” Ethan said, pointing to Maria by the counter. Looks like my suspicions were correct.  
I held out my hand to shake Erika’s, who took it with a curious smile. She looked tough and strong, making me understand why she was married to Jackson. Yet, her eyes held a happiness and calming that seemed to ease me a bit.  
“Do you need any help?” I asked, seeing the messy counter top that was piled with things that probable needed to be taken outside or thrown away.  
“That would be great since our last man standing left us,” Maria said, placing her hands onto the counter as she looked over at me with a grateful smile.  
Erika nodded in agreement, looking to Ethan, “Could you take some of these dishes out while you’re here? Unless you want to bail too?” Erika eyes Ethan, tempting him to argue or decline her. He didn’t, instead he simply nodded before looking over at me, placing his hand on my back again. “Will you be okay in here?” He asked, as if forgetting that I offered to help.  
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I said with small laugh.  
Ethan nodded with a smile before walking over a tray of buns for hot dogs and burgers and another tray full of the condiments.  
“Can you dump those chips into those two bowls?” Erika asked, pointing to two full bags of chips next to two giant empty bowls. “Sure,” I said, walking over and setting my phone and sweatshirt on one of the empty stools before walking over to the sink to wash my hands.  
Maria was the first to speak, answering any questions I might have had when it came to the subject of them being wolves. This put me at ease.  
“So, how did you find out they were wolves?” Maria asked, gaining a hit from Erika who eyed her. “What? She wouldn’t be here unless she knew about them,” Maria asked with a shrug, making a statement.  
A small laugh left my lips before I went to work on the chips, “Um, they actually saved my life. I didn’t know for sure until I saw Ethan later on and questioned him about it all.”  
Erika and Maria looked at each other before fully turning to face me, curiosity on their faces. Erika was the first to speak up, “How did you question Ethan?”  
I looked over to them, stopping my movements as I looked at them a bit worried and confused. “Well, I just asked him,” I said, not really understanding the question they were asking. Luckily, Maria explained a bit further, “No, we mean why did you suspect them in the first place?”  
My mind actually started to think about it, making me sound crazy when the words left my lips. “The one wolf’s eyes, they looked exactly like Ethan’s. I know how crazy that sounds but-“  
“It doesn’t,” Erika said, shaking her head, her arms crossed as she lightly shook her head. The look in her eyes told me that she completely understood what I was talking about.  
I didn’t even realize my mouth had parted open until I felt my mouth close and my attention turned back to the chips. Once both bags were empty, I sat them to the side before walking over to Erika and Maria. “Can I ask both of you something?” I asked, feeling like I needed to make sure I could ask a question before actually asking the real question.  
Maria shrugged, “Go ahead.”  
“How did you two get caught into this? I mean, clearly you’ve been here awhile,” I said, hinting towards the comfortable feeling that had when in the kitchen.  
Letting Erika go first with a nod, Erika said, “Well, I met Jackson when we were 16. We were best friends until I found out what he was. At first I was afraid, but then I actually met his wolf and that quickly changed. After that, I learned everything that he knew. Found out who he was to this pack. And we got married two years ago.”  
My eyes went wide at the story as a small smile crept onto my face. “Wow, that’s incredible. I can’t believe you got married that fast,” I said in shock. Immediately I wanted to take those last words back, feeling bad for judging them. If they were that in love, then why wouldn’t they?  
“Well, we were connected, so things moved kind of fast,” Erika said with a shrug, sliding the dish full of fruit to the end of the counter. Another dish sat next to it, ready to be taken outside by anyone that offered.  
As much as I wanted to help out and take the dishes outside. I knew that if I left this kitchen and walked out, I’d probably stay out there. And I wanted to hear more.  
I opened my mouth to ask a question but Maria quick spoke up, her cheery attitude reminding me of Daniel’s. “My story’s not as good, I just accidentally saw Daniel change into a wolf. If it wasn’t for this girl right here, I would have died.”  
Confusion filled me as I looked back and forth between Maria and Erika. “Wait, what do you mean you would have died?”  
Both of them looked up at me, “You don’t know?” Maria asked? Erika sighed, looking down at the counter as she stopped all movement before looking back up at me. “When a human see’s a human change into a wolf, the law is that they die. It sounds harsh, but it’s a secret that needs to be kept. And death is the only way to reassure that.”  
“Is that what happened to you two?” I asked, my eyes going wide as her words fully set in, “Is that going to happen to me?”  
Erika quickly put a hand on my shoulder, trying to calm my worried expression with a smile, “No, if you were going to die, they would have killed you by now.”  
This confused me even more, putting my first question to the back of my mind and bringing forth a new one. “Then why are you two alive?” “Well, I needed another female in the pack, so as long as she keeps the secrets, Maria can live,” Erika said, looking over at her friend.  
Lowering her hand, Erika started to clean up the mess she created with the fruit. “And I’m here because of the connection,” She said plainly, as if I knew what that meant. There was that word again, “Connection”. I had heard it before and wondered what that meant. Maybe it was just a word instead of “I love you” or something that happened with wolves. But they were human.  
“What’s a connection?” I asked, making Maria and Erika both stop their movements again before looking at each other. Erika was the first to speak, “It’s not our place to tell.” Erika returned to the cleanup process as Maria just stared at her friend.  
As the word left my lips, I realized how desperate I was to know and how alone I really felt. “Please,” I begged softly, making Erika meet my eyes, a look of sadness and regret was given to me before she took a deep breath and composed her strength again before returning to the cleanup. “It’s not our place to tell.”


	7. Chapter 7

POV- Emma

I had never gathered around a table and eaten like a family before. So this was strange, yet it gave me something that I didn’t usually feel a lot. Home.  
At one end of the picnic table sat Eric while at the other end sat Jackson, both alphas at the head of the table. On Eric’s left side sat Ethan, Lucas, Liam, and Erika. On his right sat me, Maria, and Daniel.  
Everyone dug into the pile of food we had as if they hadn’t eaten in days. I feel bad for Erika if she has to make this much food all the time for Jackson or the pack. If I was in her shoes, I’d order take out a lot.  
Her words kept echoing in my head “It’s not out place to tell”. It confused me. If she, the alpha’s wife, couldn’t tell me what a simple word as “Connection” meant then who could? Jackson was probable the answer to that but I knew better than to ask him any questions right now. Liam, Lucas, or Daniel might know but I’m afraid their answer would end up being the same as Erika’s.  
That left Eric or Ethan.  
I could ask Eric in front of Ethan and see if that would spill things. Or wait until Ethan was taking me and trap him in the question.  
My thoughts were pulled apart when Eric bumped my arm with his, “So, Emma, where do you live?” I blinked a few times, as if processing his question before answering, “St. Charles.”  
“Oh, so then you live right by Ethan,” Eric said, placing one hand on Ethan’s shoulder while the other one held a cheeseburger. I loved watching Ethan’s smile and eyes every time his grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder. It showed how much he cared about his grandfather.  
Lucas piped up with a mouth full of food, “Hey Runner! Why don’t you tell Eric what your favorite thing to do is?”  
Ethan elbowed Lucas in the side, causing him to cough and try and swallow his food. A small laugh left my lips as I turned my attention to Eric, “I like to run. That’s actually how I met Ethan and the pack.”  
“Somehow it wouldn’t surprise me if music had something to do with it,” Maria said, glaring over at her brother who shrugged before throwing in a handful of chips. At least I didn’t have to be worried I’d look like a pig when I ate.  
Liam quickly nodded, “Oh it did. You should have seen her, making deals and taking names.” He seemed so happy and excited like an 18 year old guy should be at a bonfire with family.  
“So, where’s your family?” Eric asked, as if knowing that my family was the one question I wanted to avoid in this run in. My smile dropped and my forked picked at the fruit on my plate. I had already eating my hotdog, cheeseburger, and some chips. All that was left on my plate to poke at was my fruit and some Jell-O.  
My eyes happened to notice Ethan’s quiet look at me, seeing the uncomfortableness in my expression. I could tell everyone had drawn silent. They probable grew curious and wanted to ask again in hopes I’d spill it all yet my mouth stayed shut.  
“Why don’t we go around and say one thing we want at the next bonfire,” Ethan said, looking at everyone. My head and eyes picked up, looking towards Ethan who glanced over at me and gave me a reassuring smile.  
Lucas was the first to speak up, “Hotdogs.”  
Maria spoke up, shaking her head, “Again? You say hotdogs every week!” Lucas shrugged at her, “I like hotdogs.” “Well so do I, but not that much,” Maria mumbled before taking a sip of her lemonade.  
Next was Liam who surprised me when he said, “Better drinks. I mean I like lemonade and all, but not every week.” His hand picked up the half-drunk glass and spun the liquid inside around.  
Eric dug into his pocket before tossing over a pair of keys to Liam who got it with ease. “Pull barn, fridge, there’s some pop in there,” Eric said with a smirk.  
Liam’s eyes light up at the sound. He almost fell on his butt as he pushed his brother aside and ran over to the pull barn. Clearly, he never knew there was pop in that fridge, and something tells me he’ll never forget it.  
“Fruit, it’s better for everyone and easy to make,” Erika said, looking over at Jackson who smile over at his wife. I had never seen such a genuine smile on Jackson before, but this one held so much love and happiness that anyone could read it. He confirmed it when his hand reached over and grabbed Erika’s.  
“Better firewood,” Jackson spoke up, his attention strictly on Eric who eyed the Alpha daringly. “Alright, then you better get chopping down those trees, cause that’s the only way you’re getting any other kind,” Eric said, smirking at the end to show that they were on good terms.  
Daniel wasted no time throwing his hand behind him, gesturing to the radio, “A better sound system.”  
“Daniel,” Ethan said, shaking his head with a small laugh. Daniel quickly pointed his fork at Ethan, “Don’t you dare say “All it needs is some love.”” I couldn’t help but smile at the comment. My body leaned forward a bit, looking at Daniel, “Hey Daniel.” His attention turned to me and I responded with a wide smile, “All it needs is some love.”  
A loud groan left his lips as he threw his fork down and pointed to Ethan who cracked up in a laugh with everyone else, “You, you did this to her!” Though he was yelling it, every word Daniel said was nothing but a joyful joke, with a hint of irritation.  
Next up was Maria who wasted no time in speaking her mind. “I personally would like to see the men do our job while we kickback and watch them.” No one made any comment about Maria’s wish, if anything, they didn’t seem to disagree with her.  
When it came to me, I was speechless, unsure of what to say. My eyes looked around, as if something outside would give me an idea on what I wanted for the next bonfire. But if I was being honest, I couldn’t see anything that should change or be added. So, my mouth opened and I just let any words leave it, “Maybe think of some games to do next time? When I was a kid, for holidays, we’d all sit around and play UNO.”  
Eric nodded, “I like it, a good old fashion game of cards never did anything bad for anyone.”  
I let out a small breathe of relief, as if I was worried that the words that left my mouth would cause everyone to judge me. Instead, I had Eric on my side, smiling wide at the idea.  
The only two left now were Eric and Ethan, causing my curiosity to rise.  
“I think we should consider having everyone have a story for each week. That way, we hear something new for a change,” Eric said, looking at each of us before settling on Ethan.  
Ethan looked at Eric before his eyes settled on me, a real, genuine smile showing. “I want Emma to come back for the next bonfire.”  
I felt the pink rush to my cheeks as my eyes moved down to the ground. Everyone was silent, yet when I glanced up at everyone they all had smiles and nodded in agreement.  
“Well, if everyone is done then we’ll clear the table while the guys get the bonfire things ready,” Erika said, grabbing her plate. “Gentlemen, plates in the sink,” She said, pointing to the inside before following her finger and disappearing inside.  
Maria and I grabbed our plates before following Erika and disappearing inside. We laid our plates in the sink before I stuck with the dishes and filled it up with water and soap. “I’ll wash the dishes if you two want to put the rest of the stuff away; you know where things go better than I do,” I said.  
“Thanks,” Erika said with a smile as Jackson, Ethan, and Lucas walked in with plates piled high. They sat the plates into the water before returning to the outside to retrieve the rest of the food.  
My hands started to scrub the dishes, rinsing them under the water before setting them onto a towel next to the sink. Once again, Ethan, Jackson, and Lucas returned with half full or empty plates.  
“Emma, why don’t you go with Ethan, we can take it from here,” Maria said, making me look over my shoulder to see Ethan watching me from the stool with an admiring smile. “Are you sure?” I asked, turning to Maria who was already next to me, shoving her hands into the water and bumping me to the side with her hip. I guess that’s my answer.  
I tried my hands off before walking over to Ethan who watched me closely. “Come on, I want to give you a tour,” He said, putting his hand on my back and leading me away from the kitchen.  
We disappeared behind the kitchen, the wall that held the sink on the other side. A large living room, lit by many windows met my eyes; the cabin like feel lessening. The walls still held that wood type of look, while the couches and chairs held more of a fancy look. Against the wall sat a large flat screen TV, in front of that sat a coffee table and leather couch. To the left of the couch, closer to us, there sat a leather chair with a soft blanket placed on the back of it. More to the right sat another leather chair, this one also holding the same soft blanket. Continuing on, there sat a large wood desk, very few papers scattering it. Behind the couch, against the back wall, sat two shelves full of pictures and books, surrounding a simple table that held nothing but a vase of flowers and a stack of books on either side.  
The living room was beautiful, holding that touch of perfection that made you cautious of doing anything besides sitting in it. Yet, with these boys coming here every week, I knew better than to think it was like this all the time.  
“Wow, this is beautiful,” I said, after my eyes caught sight of everything. My feet took slow steps throughout the room, ending to the shelves of books and small table with nothing but flowers and some books.  
My eyes looked over the books, finding old classic books like Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, and Little Women to newer books like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Harry Potter. I even caught sight of supernatural books like Twilight, Percy Jackson, and The Mortal Instruments. Looking at these books, you could tell a random of people lived here.  
“My grandfather likes to keep a wide selection of books for anyone that comes by. He prefers the older books, but don’t be surprised if he picks up a Harry Potter book every now and then,” Ethan said, making me jump slightly. He was standing right by me, looking up at the books as I was just doing.  
I nodded, my eyes scanning down to look at the vase of flowers. There was exactly 24 flowers, making a bigger smile slide onto my face.  
“What’s with the smile?” Ethan asked, making me look at him and lessen my smile some, “Nothing, it’s just that there is 24 flowers and 24 is my lucky number.”  
Ethan looked at me with a deep thought, his eyes staying on me while is brain seemed to wander around the house. I watched him, my own eyes wandering around the house as I tried to hunt him down and find him only to stop at the kitchen before Ethan came back to me. “Why don’t we continue on with the tour,” He said with a smile, holding out his arm with a confident stand.  
Walking around the TV wall and into a small hallway, I found one single door. It was at the side of the hallway, looking out of place with no other doors around. On the other side of the right wall sat the kitchen, the sound of plates clashing together in some water and faint talking could be heard.  
Opening up the door, Ethan revealed a large room, surprising me with what I saw. Against the wall in front of me sat nothing but a wall of shelving with books to fill up almost every space. From the doorway I could see that these books were much older and held more than just books like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.  
To the left of me sat another large desk, this one had papers scattering the whole table. It reminded me a lot of a work desk with the pencils all nice and neat into a holder, tape and a stapler next to it, only to end with a sharpener and two small shelves that held more papers. Behind the desk sat a large painting, almost taking up the whole wall, of some woods, the sun shining through some trees onto 7 wolves.  
I made a mental note to ask Ethan about the painting later.  
To the left of the painting sat three filing cabinets. To the right sat two wooden chairs, seeming to have no home before you got to the start of shelves. To the right of me surprised me. There was a wall of cabinets, each cabinet labeled with different words. On the counter sat a sink along with tons of medical supplies. In front of the cabinets sat what looked to be like a mini chair from the doctor’s office. The one that you always sit on when you’re getting a checkup. Yet, this one looks to be a bit more comfortable.  
Finally, next to me sat a steel table, nothing on it except for restraints that hung next to it. Seeing this, I took a step back, my back colliding with Ethan’s hand.  
“It’s okay, think of it like a doctors off/library in your home,” Ethan said to me, a small chuckle leaving his lips. My eyes stayed on the restraints, my mind wondered why they would need a steel table with restraints in their home.  
Turning around to look at the painting, I hoped to get my mind focused on something else. “What, what’s this painting of?” I asked, walking over to stand in front of the desk and gesturing to the painting before crossing my arms over my chest.  
Making his way over to me, his steps echoing, Ethan said, “That’s a painting of the born gene throughout three family lines. From the left is my great-grand-father, Eric, and my dad. After that is Jackson’s great-grand-father, his grandfather, and his dad. Finally is Michael’s father.”  
My eyes went wide and I quickly turned and looked at Ethan, “Michael’s father?”  
Nodding, Ethan kept his eyes on the painting. “Jackson generation, along with mine go way back together. But Michael’s generation? He’s what started ours. He made our packs, watched out for us, and even protected us when we couldn’t.”  
Shaking my head and waving my hand at Ethan, I said, “Wait, wait, wait, we’re talking about Michael’s family? The Michael who tried to kill me?”  
This caused Ethan to look back at me, his face showing the deep breath he took in before smiling slightly. “Michael’s family wasn’t always like that. The three generations were best friends, brothers. But when Michael’s mom died in childbirth, and Michael’s dad soon after, no one of his bloodline could teach him control of his power. He didn’t understand why our three bloodlines had gone back so long. He didn’t want to listen to the advice our grandfathers had for him, so he broke away, found answers on his own.”  
As Ethan spoke, I found myself feeling bad for Michael. Yeah, he tried to kill me, but only because no one was there to tell him what was right and wrong when he was a kid. And trust me, I know what that’s like.  
“Wow, I can’t believe all of this? I mean I believe it, but it’s crazy to think he was once your friend and now is your enemy.”  
Ethan shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets, “People change. Things happen. Nothing we can do but hope one day it changes back.”  
I found myself admiring Ethan by his words. He was so hopefully that one day Michael or his kids may one day come to their senses and return home. I mean, who wouldn’t want to come back to this? Bonfires with stories every week with the pack, your pack protecting you with everything they have, creating a family.  
I would never leave this.  
The tour continued on after that, the rest of the first floor filled with a dining room and a bathroom. The second story was nothing but bedrooms and bathrooms, while a little sitting area sat right when you entered the second story.  
The third story was unseen. Supposedly it was, what Ethan called, a house floor. Turns out Jackson and Erika live on the third floor, leaving Eric with the rest of the house. The many rooms was for the rest of the pack, each pack member having their own room while some were left for guest.  
Ethan wasted no time in offering a guest bedroom for me for the future. I didn’t say anything, not sure if I should give a yes or no answer yet. I mean, who knows what will happen?


	8. Chapter 8

POV- Emma

After the tour, we found ourselves heading back down the stairs and out the sliding glass door. Darkness had already set in, making me wonder how long we had been taking the tour for.  
Everyone was gathered around the bonfire. Lucas sat on one of the fallen trees, munching away on a hotdog while Liam sat next to him, looking at Eric who was talking away with him and Daniel who sat in a chair on the other side of Eric. Jackson sat next to him, sitting in a folded up chair with Erika sitting on his lap, curled up with a sweatshirt hugged around her upper body. At seeing this, I couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous, wishing someone would hold me like that.  
Maria sat next to Jackson, talking away with Erika while Jackson would cue in on a few responses.  
“There they are! Took you two long enough! Lucas has already eaten three hotdogs!” Liam yelled over to us, causing everyone to look over at us. As we got closer, the flame of the fire lit up everyone’s posture and faces better than before, revealing some empty space between Lucas and Maria.  
“I hope no one wanted leftovers,” Erika mumbled, causing a small smirk to rise on Jackson’s face and look over at Lucas. He caught Jackson’s face and threw his hands up in the air, “What? I’m hungry!”  
A small laugh left my lips as I took the spot next to Maria and Ethan took the other empty spot next to me. I felt a small tap on my shoulder, making me look over to see Maria holding out my sweatshirt and phone. “Here, I thought you might want this back,” She said with a smile.  
“Thanks,” I said, laying my phone down next to me before slipping on the sweatshirt, feeling the warmth of the inside fill my body. Shoving my phone into my sweatshirt pocket, I focused my attention on Eric who looked at each of us.  
“Alright, now that everyone is here, I think we should start a new tradition,” Eric said, clasping his hands together. Everyone looked at him like he was crazy, like he had broken a tradition that lasted longer than we did.  
Maybe he was?  
Eric wasted no time in absorbing their excretions and continued on, explaining. “Tonight, we are going to pick two people to share a story with us. It can be real, or it can be made up. You can tell a story, a legend, whatever you want to tell. And, since tonight we have a newcomer, I think we should have Emma go first.”  
My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped slightly, closing when I realized everyone was nodding in agreement and focusing their attention on me.  
Why me? I don’t tell stories, or at least not exciting stories like what they wanted. I wasn’t going to pull something from my childhood and throw it out there, but I didn’t want to make up some crappy story either. Luckily, Liam saved me when he said, “You should tell a scary story.”  
Now that, I can do. But, of course, nothing came to mind. All that seemed to pop up was a nightmare I’ve had a few many times.  
“Pull something out of that runner brain of yours, Emma,” Daniel said, nodding over to me with a smile as he adjusted himself in his chair.  
A sigh left my lips before I looked at my hands, at Ethan, then at everyone. “I’m running,” I started, causing Daniel to quickly comment, “That’s no surprise.” “Boy, you better shut that mouth of yours before I start sharing stories of the many times you were caught peeing behind a tree because you were too lazy to walk inside,” Eric said.  
Daniel quickly shut his mouth, causing Eric to nod before smiling and looking over at me, “Go ahead.”  
“Okay, I’m running. My heart is racing and my feet are screaming at me to stop, but I can’t. I keep running, and running. Suddenly, my sweatshirt hood is grabbed and I’m yanked backwards, choking me for a minute. But before I’m thrown to the ground, I’m grabbed, slammed up against a wall. A pair of black eyes stare back at me. I struggle in the man’s grip, but I can’t break free. Suddenly, the wall behind me gives way and we’re both falling backwards. There’s no floors, no ground, nothing but darkness. When I look over, I see the man’s black eyes looking back at me, something in his eyes looks like a figure, falling. And that’s when I realized that I’m falling in his eyes, that I was no longer thrown against a wall, but a black abyss.”  
Everyone sat there, shocked, their mouths opened as they stared at me shocked. No one said anything or made any movement. Crap, well I just ruined that idea forever.  
My eyes look to Ethan who looked at me in a different way than everyone else. He looked at me with sadness, like he knew that this was a nightmare of mine. It was as if he had somehow jumped into my dream and watched it all happen. I don’t know why I did it, but I grabbed his hand with mine, giving it a small squeeze, as if it would comfort him. He blinked a few times before looking down at our hands, giving it a small squeeze as if he was accepting the piece I was giving him.  
“We should go,” Ethan said, before looking up at everyone. “I have to drive her back to the school anyways,” He said, causing everyone to look at him confused.  
“What? But the stories just started,” Daniel said, confused and shocked to hear Ethan suggest that we go while no real stories seemed to have been said yet. Jackson met Ethan’s eyes, “Daniel, let them go,” He said, causing Daniel to look at his alpha before silencing himself.  
Erika stood up, somehow causing me to stand as well, feeling bad that my story had made Ethan want to leave.  
“It was nice meeting you, and you’re welcomed back here any time,” She said with a smile before pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back, being the first to pull away before receiving a hug from Maria who comment, “Yeah, please don’t leave us with these dorks all the time.”  
A small laugh left my lips before I turned to see Eric hugging Ethan, whispering something in his ear before pulling away with nods.  
Eric’s attention moved to me, his arms opening and hugging me, bringing that grandfather like feeling out. “Come back, okay?” He asked, making me nod and pull away, “I promise.”  
Ethan, surprising me, took my hand before leading us away from the fire and into the dark air, towards the truck. Silence filled each step, my eyes occasionally glancing over to him only to see his eyes straight ahead. It wasn’t until we reached the truck that he let go of my hand, only to open the door for me and close it.  
When the driver side opened and Ethan hopped in, he wasted no time or words before starting the truck and leaving.  
It was silent until we reconnected with the road, the smooth drive finally letting words come out. “I’m sorry,” I apologized, causing Ethan to quickly glance between the road and me. “Sorry? For what?”  
“For the story, I didn’t mean to make it sound so bad,” I said, looking between him and the road in hopes that no car was coming while he was looking away.  
“No, no, don’t ever apologies for something like that. I think Liam and Lucas enjoyed that story more than my grandfather’s usual stories,” Ethan said with a small smile. It soon fell, “It’s just, is that what you dream about at night?” He asked, looking at me.  
I remember telling Catheryn and Rachel about my nightmares once. It ended with them thinking I needed help or medication to control them. But, as strange as it may sound, they felt a part of me.  
In hopes of it not ending like that this time, I said, “No, not always. I have good dreams too.”  
Ethan focused back on the road, nodding before silence settled in the truck again. As we drove, even the radio had been turned off, the only thing that was done was the occasional movement of my head as I looked at the surrounding objects.  
Before I even knew I was thinking the question, my mouth seemed to ask, “What’s a connection?”  
Ethan slowed down some, his mouth dropping slightly as a quick look of panic sunk in on his face. “Where did you hear that word?” He asked, looking over at me before focusing back on the road.  
“Erika told me it, she didn’t say really anything about the meaning of it, just that Jackson and her were connected,” I said, watching as Ethan’s truck slowed down even more before he eventually shook his head and sped back up. “It’s nothing, just a word that they like to use.”  
Now that was a lie. Sure, at first I thought that, but seeing the reaction to the word that Ethan was giving me told me that it was very different.  
Deciding it’d be best if I just kept my mouth shut the rest of the time, I took control and turned on the radio, letting any random song that popped up play. This was like that until we pulled into the school parking lot, parking right by my truck again.  
“Well, no broken windows or open doors, looks like no one broke into my truck,” I said with a smile as I looked at Ethan who smiled and nodded.  
A sigh left my lips before I looked down at my hands, “I’m sorry, again, for all the questions. I guess I just didn’t want to feel so out of the loop with things.” My words must have switched something in Ethan’s mind, because he turned so his whole body was facing me and looked like he was about to speak.  
“Connection is something that we use to describe, a person,” Ethan said, trying best to describe it so I would understand it. That wasn’t happening and Ethan could see that. “Okay, you know how in Twilight there a thing called imprinting? Or in other books every wolf has a mate?”  
I nodded for my answer.  
“Well, we never liked the word mate, it always sounded so sexual, so we called it a connection.” I understood what he was saying, but I still wasn’t sure why he acted the way he did when I mentioned it before. I didn’t have to wait long to get an answer.  
“So, when a man and a women, or a wolf and a human, are connected it’s much more than just a “let’s hook up” feeling. You feel everything the other person feels, you know when their happy or sad, or when they’re in pain. You don’t need to sleep with them to be their connection, you just want the other person to be safe, happy. And you never want to leave them. It’s almost like the feeling of a first married couple, you never want to leave the other person and when you do, you miss them.”  
I found that the word made more sense and meaning then the word “mate” did. Looking back at Jackson and Erika, I see where they were connected. It could be simple things as holding hands or sitting on their lap, or even just a simple as making eye contact with each other.  
It was beautiful.  
“So, is Jackson the only one with a connection?” I asked, as if trying to discover if Ethan had one. But, by the sounds of it, if he did he wouldn’t be sitting here talking with me right now.  
Ethan looked around, tipping his head side to side before replying with, “No.”  
Before I could ask any other questions, Ethan opened his door and slipped out of the truck, causing me to sit there for a second before turning and opening my door to find Ethan already standing there.  
“I hope you had fun tonight,” Ethan said with a smile as if the last few minutes never even happened. But it did.  
“Minus the unanswered questions, yeah, I did,” I said, making Ethan sigh before taking one of my hands in his, “I promise, I’ll tell you everything you want to know. Just, not right now,” He said, looking into my eyes, hoping I understood.  
Deciding that it was either this or nothing at all, I nodded and gave his hand a squeeze, “That’s good enough for me. I should get going before Rachel and Catheryn think I skipped town or something.” The joke lightened the mood, causing Ethan to smile and whisper out an, “Okay.”  
“I’ll see you soon,” I said, breaking our hands, causing an ice cold wind to brush against mine. By the way Ethan tucked his hands away into his pockets, he nodded and said, “Defiantly.”  
Before my mind could tell me to do anything else, I walked past Ethan and jumped into my truck. Pulling out of the school parking lot, I looked into my rearview mirror to find Ethan still standing where I left him, watching me leave like it was the last time he’d see me again.  
But it wasn’t.  
I found my way back home, happy to have my own entrance way so I didn’t wake anyone up.  
Switching on the lights, I slipped my clothes off and changed into some PJ’s before unmaking my bed. The feeling of someone watching me settled into my body, making my head continuously look towards the sliding glass door.  
Something was out there, watching my every movement.  
In hopes of it being nothing and just my imagination, I turned off my lights and slipped into bed. My eyes stared at the sliding glass door, the blinds open so I could see right outside.  
I should close them, otherwise I’ll never get any sleep.  
Letting out loud sigh, I slide out of bed and made my way over to the sliding glass door, my hands dripping the chain to close them. As my eyes searched the area outside, I came to a stop, spotting a figure of some sorts.  
At first, I was ready to close the curtains and run upstairs to sleep on the couch. But then I felt this feeling of piece, of safety, and I wanted nothing more than to open the sliding glass door and meet the figure out there. It wasn’t a man, it was more like a dog, or a wolf.  
“Please let it be good, please let it be good,” I mumbled to myself as I unlocked the door before sliding it open. My arms hugged my chest as my bare feet walked along the grass, towards the woods. If Rachel or Catheryn were up and saw me, they would be calling me crazy the next morning. But it was late, they were asleep. That didn’t stop me from coming up with an excuse, just in case.  
The figure started to walk forward, creeping closer and closer to me before it finally became noticeable. A wolf, Ethan.  
I stopped, looking down at Ethan with a smile. My hand reached out slowly, as if reaching out to a cautious dog. He must have sensed this because he took another step towards me, rubbing his furry head against my hand.  
Recalling the days when I had a dog, I started to scratch by his ear, causing his eyes to close and a growl like purr to leave his throat. I swear, he was smiling.  
“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered out, my eyes looking at every movement that his body made. A small growl left his lips and, as if my mind knew exactly what he was saying, I said, “I mean handsome.”  
Suddenly, a branch snapping deeper in the woods, made Ethan’s eyes flash open and his head to completely turn towards the noise. I lowered my hand, looking off into the woods which made the feeling of fear run up my spine. A deep, protective growl left Ethan’s throat, the same that he gave off to Jackson when he grabbed me back at the football field.  
“What is Ethan?” I asked, my eyes fixed on the woods in hopes of seeing the source of the noise. It was so dark that I could barely see where the woods started and the grass land ended.  
Another growl left Ethan’s lips, this time his body turning so he was completely looking at the woods.  
Something was wrong, someone was out there.  
The adventures and risk taking side of me wanted to take a few steps forward and check it out, but by the way the hair on the bike of my neck stood and Ethan, I knew better than to do that.  
Suddenly, Ethan stood differently, this time in a pouncing stand. Before I could ask Ethan again what is was or even guess, Ethan jumped at something. A figure had been running towards us and Ethan could see it better than I could, attacking it before to it.  
Another wolf, Michael.  
A gasp left my lips as I watched Ethan and Michael fight, their teeth snapping at one another as they rolled on the ground. Quickly, my feet kicked into gear, running away from the two as they wrestled on the grass ground.  
My head looked over my shoulder, spotting Michael chasing after me, his teeth sharp and ready to sink into me.  
Before he could reach me, my feet picked up speed and ran towards the sliding glass door.   
Ethan jumped onto Michael, knocking them both to ground as my hand grabbed the handle, sliding the door open before slamming it close and locking it. My back pushed itself against the wall beside the door, my heart racing as I closed my eyes and waited.  
I could hear the sounds of heavy bodies rolling on the ground and a few teeth snapping at each other.  
I hoped if Rachel or Catheryn heard this, they’d just think it was some animals fighting in the woods. Fighting over food or a place to sleep, but they weren’t, they were fighting over me.  
Suddenly, the noise came to a stop, filling the air with silence. My eyes slowly opened, my heart still racing as I slowly peeked around the corner, looking outside.  
A small scream left my lips when something collided with the door, making me jump back. A man stood in front of the door, shirtless and covered in dirt. His pants were ripped into shorts and his feet were bare.  
“Ethan,” I let out as I quickly unlocked the door and swung it open. As his feet took one step towards me I found myself engulfing him into a hug. The heat radiated off of him, but it settled my nerves, telling me that he was alive and okay. When his arms found their way around me, I couldn’t help but start to ramble out, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”  
Pulling away, Ethan looked into my eyes, his hands rushing to my cheeks, “I’m okay, I’m fine.”  
My mouth dropped slightly as I looked at him, my head shaking slightly. “You heard him, and I felt you,” I said, realizing that the feeling of safety, of fear, of relief wasn’t just coming from me, but from him.  
He couldn’t speak in his wolf form, yet I knew that, that one growl said he wasn’t a girl and beautiful wasn’t his word. I knew that the other growl was a warning growl, a protective one. Just like I knew to run because something bad was out there.  
It was all Ethan.  
Like all the wires had connected together, creating a spark before switching on all the lights, I knew what was happening.  
Before I could overthink it or change my mind, I grabbed Ethan and lowered his face, bringing my lips to his. The kiss surprised us both. Yet the kiss felt real, safe, loving. The kiss was like a seal for a letter, like the final piece of the puzzle was placed and solved, like it was meant to be.  
I’ve kissed a guy before, but this kiss was nothing like that. This kiss confirmed my thoughts and answered my question.  
Did Ethan have a connection?   
Yes. Me.


	9. Chapter 9

POV- Emma

I’m running. My heart is racing while my feet are screaming at me to stop, but I can’t. I keep running, and running until suddenly, my sweatshirt hood is grabbed and I’m yanked backwards, choking me for a minute. But before I’m thrown to the ground, I’m grabbed and slammed up against a wall. A pair of black eyes stare back at me. I struggle in the man’s grip, but I can’t break free. Suddenly, the wall behind me gives way and we’re both falling backwards. There’s no floors, no ground, nothing but darkness. When I look over, I see the man’s black eyes looking back at me. Something in his eyes looks like a figure, falling. And that’s when I realized that I’m falling in his eyes, that I was no longer thrown against a wall, but a black abyss.  
“Emma! Emma!” I hear a voice yell, making me look up to meet a pair of light green and gold eyes.  
I gasp awake, my body sitting me up as I look around the half lit room.  
“Emma, it’s okay,” Ethan says as he sits up right by me, rubbing my back soothingly, “It was just a dream.”  
My breath comes out shakenly as I rub my eyes, my body leaning into Ethan lightly. After the whole thing with Michael, I asked Ethan to spend the night in hopes that it would calm mine and his nerves. Nothing happened between us, but he did sleep in my bed, keeping me safe.  
“Sorry,” I said, sitting up straighter as I looked at Ethan tiredly. He smiled before pushing my messy hair back behind my ear, “You don’t have to apologies. Was it that nightmare that you talk about yesterday at the bonfire?”  
I nodded, looking down at my hands for a minute before taking a deep breath and throwing the covers off of me.  
“How does Michael know where I live?” I asked, turning and looking at Ethan who still sat under the covers on my bed. His arms sat on his legs, watching me as I got off the bed and looked at him.  
If someone were to come down here, they would get the wrong message completely when looking at us. Even for a second there I had to remember that nothing happened, nothing but a kiss.  
“He probable followed you, or me when I came by,” He said, pulling off the covers before standing up. As I looked at him I recalled that he was just wearing ripped jeans that now looked more like shorts. “What happened to your clothes?” I asked, stopping to close my eyes and shake my head as I heard the question out loud.  
Ethan laughed slightly, “They tend to rip off when we change, luckily our pants stay, though that’s the only thing that stays.”  
I nodded, making a mental note of that as I crossed my arms. The sound of footsteps upstairs made my head look up before looking back at Ethan. “Do you want to come up for breakfast? Or I could save you the millions of questions my roommates will give you and bring some downstairs.”  
A chuckle left Ethan’s lips as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “That’s okay, I should head back anyways. I got to inform Jackson about what happened last night.” His feet started to carry him over to me, both hands finding their way to my arms, rubbing them soothingly. “Will you be okay here alone?”  
“Yeah, besides, Michael would have to be pretty desperate to attack during the day, right?” I asked, only to stop when I realized he did attack during the day. Back at school it was bright out, any driver could have passed by and seen him or even the pack.  
Giving my arms a small squeeze, Ethan said, “Well, I wrote my number down for you. If anything happens or you get an uneasy feeling, just call.”  
It was so strange having someone talk to me this way. It was like he would drop everything and run over here if I asked him too, weather he knew I was in danger or not.  
“Thank you,” I said, not quite sure what I was thanking him for. His number? Or him saving my life last night? Maybe both?  
Ethan pulled me into a hug, one that I returned. I breathed in his sent, a mixture of woods and lavender. The sent made every bone in my body relax and my mind to settle.  
When he pulled away, I couldn’t help but watch him as he walked towards the sliding glass door, unlocking it to leave.  
Once I knew he was fully gone, I opened my closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a simple purple shirt that fit like an exercise shirt would. I threw my hair up into a high pony-tale before brushing my teeth and face. Seeing my hair up all the time was a normal thing for me. I’ve thought of cutting it, but right now I like it long.  
Maybe someday.  
Racing upstairs, I found myself in between a silent Catheryn and Rachel, both of them glaring at each other. When they say me, Catheryn gestured to me, “See, she’s fine!”  
Confused, I looked between my two friends, “Of course I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?”  
Catheryn wasted no time throwing Rachel under the bus. “Rachel here was convinced all last night and this morning that you were kidnapped or killed all because you didn’t text her back yesterday.”  
My hand quickly reached into my back pocket, grabbing my phone and looking at it to find texts and missed calls from both Rachel and Catheryn. I must not have checked my phone.  
“I’m sorry, I guess I forgot to check to my phone. I’m here, alive, and fine,” I said, looking at Rachel who crossed her arms before sighing, lowering them again. “Fine, sorry I jumped to conclusions, I just feel like you’re never around and I was worried.”  
I laid my hands on Rachel’s arms, like Ethan did to me, hoping to calm her down. “I’m sorry I’ve been distant. How about us girls go out today? We can go bowling, to the movies, hell I’ll even go shopping if that will fix things.”  
Rachel looked over me to Catheryn who nodded before fixing her eyes back on me. “Putt, putt golfing. The three of us. Today.”  
Nodding with a smile I turned and wrapped my arms around my two best friends, pulling them into a hug.  
After breakfast, we grabbed our things before heading into Rachel’s car. With every song that left the radio, we sang louder and louder. This moment right here reminded me of everyone at Eric’s. Everyone was happy and having fun with each passing moment.  
As we reached the golf course that sat inside, we realized there wasn’t anyone in the golfing area. A few people sat inside to eat but stayed away from golfing, leaving the whole area to us.  
Grabbing our golf clubs, we headed over to Hole 1 which was a pretty simple hole. Rachel sunk it in first before Catheryn followed, me falling behind when it ran over the hole and bounced away. “How do I miss on Hole 1?” I exclaimed as I threw my hands up in the air.  
“Only Emma,” Catheryn joked to me as she made Hole 2, continuing on while Rachel tried again at Hole 2, making it in her second try.  
Trying again, I managed to sink Hole 1 and 2 before getting stuck on Hole 3 once again. “I can’t believe this!” I said, walking over to the golf ball and standing right by it. Before I could push it in with the golf club, the sound of chattering was heard at the entrance.  
This sparking type of feel electrocuted my body, pulling my attention from the golf ball to the guys walking in. I first spotted Liam who was whistling and twirling his gold club in his hand. Daniel and Lucas followed behind while Maria and Erika rushed to follow them. Ethan and Jackson walked in, Ethan’s eyes immediately catching mine as he passed the entrance way.  
“Hey! If it isn’t the runner! No wonder Ethan picked this place!” Daniel said, outstretching his arms as everyone piled into the open room.  
Rachel and Catheryn looked at each other skeptically as Daniel came over. He wrapped an arm around me as Lucas and Liam jogged over to us. “It looks like you better stick with running because golfing is not your thing,” Daniel said, glancing over to where Catheryn and Rachel sat on Hole 5 while I was still stuck on Hole 3.  
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked, my eyes looking to the three guys before me before glancing at Ethan again who was grabbing a club along with Jackson.  
“Ethan came up with the idea of all of us hanging out today, picked this place. Now we know why,” Lucas said, gesturing to me. At hearing his name, Ethan walked over to us, joining the small group. This caused Daniel to quickly release his arm on me and take a step to the side.  
Stopping in front of me, Ethan smiled slightly, “Hi.” “Hi,” I said, feeling a blush rush up to my cheeks again.  
At the clear of a throat, I looked over to see Rachel and Catheryn looking at Ethan and I confused. “Um, Emma, who are these people?” Rachel asked, locking eyes with everyone before settling on Jackson. At the sight of him, Rachel took a small step back, barely noticeable unless you were watching her.  
“Sorry you guys, this is Ethan, Lucas, Lucas’ younger brother Liam, Daniel, his sister Maria, Jackson, and his wife Erika. Lucas, Liam, Jackson, Daniel, and Ethan are the guys I see at the football field every day. Everyone, these are my roommates and best friends Rachel and Catheryn.”  
Daniel slid over to Rachel, smirking down at her, “Hi ya.”  
“Bye ya,” Rachel said, putting her hand up to his face and pushing him away from her, clearly not enjoying his flirty game. A chuckle left Jackson’s lips, surprising me once again by his action.  
“Well, since we’re all here, let’s get to playing!” Liam cheered, making his way over to Hole 1.  
I looked over at my two friends, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know they’d be here.” “It’s okay, your friends are our friends. Why don’t we all start over, maybe you’ll do better this second time around,” Catheryn said, stepping over a make shift log.  
Rachel followed, stopping by my side to whisper in my ear, “He’s cute.” It wasn’t until I looked at her did I see her glancing at Ethan before returning to the large group at Hole 1.  
Ethan smiled and waited until Rachel was far enough before saying to me, “Sorry if I ruined your time with friends.”  
Shrugging and waving at him, I said, “Don’t worry about it. It might be kind of fun with everyone, just as long as no one wolfs out on us,” I said, eyeing him in particular before walking past him. My shoulder rubbed against his arm slightly, causing a roar of adrenaline to run through me.  
One by one everyone took their turn at Hole 1, everyone, even me, making it their first time. This continued for Hole 2, only to end at Hole 3 where I was still stuck at.  
The last time I did any type of golfing was when I was 14 for a birthday party. It was fun until someone got sick on the last hole and we all went back home. Hopefully no one gets sick today.  
“Looks like their having fun,” Ethan whispered in my ear, making me jump slightly and look at him. His eyes were watching everyone as they played or talk.  
Liam had never played putt, putt golfing before and was only on Hole 4. Maria, Daniel, and Catheryn were talking as they took turns on Hole 5, seeming to get along pretty well. Rachel seemed to be having a fun conversation on Hole 6 with Lucas, seeming to forget they were supposed to be playing golf, not talking. Jackson and Erika were already on Hole 8, sinking every single one before-hand.  
“I don’t understand why I’m so bad at this,” I sighed, ready to just give up and watch everyone else.  
“You’re just thinking too hard,” Ethan said to me before stopping behind me, wrapping his arms around me and placing his hands on mine. He straightened up my posture a bit before whispering in my ear, “Just breathe. Focus on something else, focus on my voice.”  
That wasn’t too hard since he was right by my ear.  
Taking a deep breath, I hit the ball, making Hole 3 with ease. I threw my fist up in the air and shouted, “Yes!” This action caused Ethan to take a step back, releasing my hands, and watching me with amused eyes.  
“Onto Hole 4,” I said, walking over to Hole 4 which was now empty. Ethan went first, preparing his stance as he focused on the ball.  
“So, did you recommend this place before or after you heard Rachel suggest putt, putt golfing?” I asked, leaning on my short club as I watched him. He smirked, “Bit of both,” he said before sinking in the ball.  
I rolled my eyes at him before setting my own ball down, recalling the words that Ethan said to me before. Just focus on something else, don’t think too much about it.  
Sink.  
“Next hole,” I said proudly, making Ethan chuckle at my words. This carried on until we reached the last hole. Somehow, I managed to sink the hole on my first shot. Rachel and Catheryn swear I found a way to cheat.  
Suddenly, Ethan’s phone went off in his pocket, grabbing his attention. “Hello,” He said, his eyes focused on the ground. My eyes watched Ethan’s expression change from just a normal look to a worried look. Immediately, his eyes looked up, finding Jackson staring at him as if he could hear the conversation on the phone.  
“Ethan, is everything okay?” I asked worriedly.  
Looking over at me, Ethan quickly hung up the phone, “We have to get out of here.”  
I looked at Ethan confused, before my focused fell on Jackson who was telling Maria, Liam, Lucas, and Daniel, “We got to go, Eric needs us!” Those were the only words that needed to be said to get everyone kicking into gear and confuse Rachel and Catheryn.  
When my attention turned back to Ethan, he was already whispering to Maria about something. “Is Eric okay?” I asked, my hand grabbing Ethan’s arm which caused his attention to turn back to me. The look on his face told me he was worried, maybe even scared.  
At first, I could tell Ethan was battling with something in his head before he quickly said, “Something happened. I have to go,” He said, making me grow worried for Eric.  
Was he hurt? Taken?  
Slowly, I nodded, releasing my hand from his arm before slowly sliding it down to his hand and giving it a small squeeze in comfort. Ethan looked down at our hands, sucking in a deep breath before using his other hand to bring my head forward, kissing the top of it.  
“Come with me?” He asked, surprising me with his question. I thought he would just say bye and leave, but instead he wanted me to join him on his journey back to his grandfather.  
At first, I wanted to object and tell him that he should go and call me with the information. But when I saw Ethan’s begging eyes, I knew my mouth would never be able to form another besides yes.  
“Okay.”  
Bringing me back to the moment before us, Rachel and Catheryn cleared their throats. I turned and looked at my two friends, “I have to go, but I’ll call you later.”  
“Is everything okay?” Rachel asked worriedly.  
“Yeah, I hope,” I said, mumbling the last part before turning to Ethan. I nodded for him to go ahead, only to realize Ethan had taken my hand in his and was leading us towards the door. Everyone was hot on our tail as we headed outside, greeted with the same cars that were parked at the pack house.  
I rode with Ethan, silent as we followed Jackson’s truck while Liam, Lucas, Daniel, and Maria followed behind us.  
Part of me wanted to ask what was happening while the other part of me wanted to just stay quiet and wait to see. Ethan must have sensed my curiosity, because he answered me as if I had already asked the question.  
“Eric’s okay, he just fell,” Ethan said, his hands gripping the steering wheel, telling me that he was still worried for his grandfather.  
My eyes staid on Ethan’s hands, watching as his knuckles would turn white before he’d take a deep breath only to grow tense again and his hands return to their white.  
Without a second thought, I reached my hand out and touched his. At my touch, his hands returned to their normal color and his body released a long, reliving breath.  
I kept my hand like that until we turned onto the bumpy dirt road. Ethan was rushing to pull into the grassy parking lot where everyone else lined up to park. Ethan and Jackson were the first to jump out of their trucks and race over to the front door.  
Erika and I followed them, Liam, Lucas, Daniel, and Maria falling a bit behind to give us the space that may be needed.  
When the front door opened, I followed Ethan around the staircase and into the living room. Eric sat on the couch, his foot elevated with his body while an icepack sat on his ankle. When his eyes met the four of us, a huge sigh left his lips. “Ethan, I told you I was fine,” Eric said, but that didn’t stop Ethan from rushing over to his grandfather’s side. This left Erika, Jackson, and I in the doorway while everyone else was just walking through the door.  
“You told me you fell; if you didn’t want me to come over you wouldn’t have called,” Ethan said, moving the icepack to the side and looking over Eric’s ankle. It was swollen and clearly broken.  
Eric’s eyes moved from Ethan to me, staying there for a minute until Ethan noticed and looked back at me. His head then looked back at his grandfather, “What? What is it?”  
“Why is Emma here?” Eric asked, focusing his attention back on Ethan, his eye occasionally looking back up at me. “We were with her and her two friends, we were worried,” Ethan said, not holding back his confusion, nor did my face.  
Placing a hand on Ethan’s shoulder, Eric brought Ethan closer to him, whispering something in his ear before releasing him.   
“Are you sure?” Ethan asked?  
Eric said nothing, instead he just nodded slowly before looking past me, at the pack behind me. Something was up and clearly everyone heard what it was except Erika and I. And it had something to do with me.  
Before I could ask any questions, Ethan quickly stood up and fast walked over to me, placing a hand on my back and pushing me towards the door, “We have to go.”  
“Why? What’s going on?” I asked, but Ethan wouldn’t budge from his pushing, “We just have to go.”  
I somehow managed to step aside from Ethan, breaking the contact his hand made on my back, “Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!” My voice was louder than I wanted it to be but it must have made the point because Ethan sighed. At first, he looked behind him at Jackson who only starred at him before nodding to him.  
“Michael showed up to the house this morning, threatening my grandfather. Apparently he didn’t like my grandfather’s answer because his ankle is broken and he’s sending the elder wolves.” Ethan acted like I knew what the hell he was talking about when in fact, I had no clue.  
“Who are the elder wolves and why do I have to go?” I asked, unaware of the answer I’d get.  
Ethan looked at the ground before looking back up at me, “Can I explain everything in the truck? We really have to go.” I could see the plead in his eyes, begging me to listen to my gut which screamed to go and wait for answers.  
I gave my answer with a nod, causing a sigh of relief to leave Ethan’s lips before he took my hand and hurried outside, to his truck. Once we hopped in and drove off Eric’s property, the question and answers started popping out.  
“So, the elder wolves, who are they and why is it so important that we leave?” I asked, my focused on Ethan who was more focused on the road then my face. Though his voice only on me.  
“The elder wolves are a group of wolves that are like police officers. They help keep the piece and law between packs. Michael must have dropped something big to them to cause the whole Elder pack to run all the way out here. And they don’t just do that for anything.”  
As each day past, I felt like my mind was being more and more opened to the wolf world, completely leaving the regular world a stray. Though why we had to leave so quickly still picked at my brain.  
“So, why did we have to leave so fast?”  
Ethan looked over at me longer then he should have before quickly looking back at the road. “The elder wolves have laws, but some they tend to stretch out more than need be. They believe that two connections should be married within the month of their meet.”  
My eyes went wide and I immediately grew worried that this would happen to us. I just met Ethan, I know nothing about him, nor have we even fully said what this was between us. But, would that stop him?  
Hoping to voice my opinion in a nice way, dropping hints, I asked, “Why in the world would they think that?”  
Shrugging, Ethan said, “From what I hear, they believe that the whole “get to know each other” and “dating” thing is just a waste of time. If two people are connected then there’s no reason to wait. Their soulmates and will know everything they need to know while their married.”  
I couldn’t believe these elder wolves. They were like grandparents who were hooked on the old ways, like getting married at 19 and having babies at 20 or you were a disgrace. In case you were wondering, I have met people like that.  
Somehow, Ethan looked over at me and knew I was worried by his words, causing a sudden panic to leave his lips. “But that’s not how I feel, nor how the pack feels. That’s why Eric gave us the heads up to get out. Daniel is probable sending Maria home right now before they come. If they caught her-“  
“She’d be dead,” I finished, recalling the rules of the pack. Ethan nodded, seeming to find some relief in my quick understanding of the wolf life.  
How? Because I’m connected to one of them.


	10. Chapter 10

POV- Emma

Ethan pulled into my driveway; the sun was just setting, casting a golden color to the pond. The lights inside were on, revealing that Rachel and Catheryn were home. I knew that if I walked into the front door, they’d jump at me with curious questions that I’m not sure how to answer yet.  
“Do you want to come in?” I asked, looking over at Ethan who looked back at me with a smile. “Yeah, if it’s okay with Rachel and Catheryn,” He asked, nodding towards the house.  
Opening the passenger door, I said, “It’s my house too. Besides, who says they’ll even know you’re here?”  
The smirk on my face revealed the small joke which caused a small nod from Ethan. We both climbed out of the truck and headed around the side of the house, to the sliding glass door.  
Unlocking and opening the door, I switched on some lights before plugging my phone in to charge.  
Ethan, finally getting the chance to walk around and take a look at the place, started to examine everything in the large basement that I called my apartment. My eyes watched him as he looked over the pictures, small decoration, and rows upon rows of DVD’s that were all alphabetized.  
“You really like movies,” Ethan said, a smile on his face as his eyes seemed to quickly glance through each row. I had more than 200 movies, all from genres like horror to action to even some animation.  
“Well, I like getting lost in things, little did I know that the movies would become my life,” I said, letting out a small chuckle that Ethan sent back to me.  
As I watched Ethan carry on with looking through my things, I began to realize that I was meant to be with this man and yet felt like I knew nothing of his personal life. Granted, by opening that door it would lead to my own door being opened and the secrets of my personal life would escape.  
But, if the elder wolves ever did come across Ethan and I and forced something between us, I’d like to know something about him.  
“Where are your parents?” I asked suddenly, wishing I would have started with a simpler question like “What’s your favorite color” or “Are you more of a Star Wars or superhero fan” because the answer to that question would determine a lot.  
Ethan stopped and looked back at me, surprised by my sudden question.  
“Well, their alive if that’s what you asking,” He said, clearly uncomfortable.  
Quickly, I tried to explain why the question had escaped. “I just realized I didn’t know that much about you, about your personal life.”  
Smirking slightly, Ethan slowly made his way over to me, “I could say the same thing about you.” He had a point, it wasn’t like I was jumping out with my own secrets. I mean, some things you could gather while others I don’t think he could even have a clue.  
Stopping in front of me, Ethan slowly took my hand, running a spark up my arm and into my heart. “Why don’t we play Questions and Answers?” He asked, looking back up at me.  
“I’d like that,” I said with an admiring smile, glad to know we would get somewhere today.  
Still holding onto my hand, Ethan pulled me to the couch, sitting next to me as his body turned to face me, getting comfortable in the old couch.  
“My mom and dad live in Colorado. They love it there and so did I at first, but eventually I wanted to find a pack, move away from them. So, when I called Jackson and asked him if I could join his pack, I wasted no time leaving them. My mom was sad to see me go, while my dad was,” Ethan started then paused, “Disappointed.”  
“Disappointed?” I asked, shocked by his word, “How could someone be disappointed in you?” I couldn’t help but feel on guard, wanting to call up his dad and yell at him for even considering that word when talking about his son.  
Ethan looked at me admiringly before taking my hand again, “You have to realize that, to my dad, I’m supposed to be this big alpha. So when I decided to be a part of a different pack and not be an alpha, he felt like I wasn’t living up to my potential.”  
“Do you talk to them?” I asked, now feeling sad that Ethan was states away from his parents, unsure of their feelings towards him.  
Shaking his head, Ethan said, “No, some things happened and it was better if I just stopped calling them. Besides, I have the pack and my grandfather.”  
“And me,” I added, stopping when I realized what I said. At first I wanted to take it back and explain what I meant, but I didn’t. Because I meant what I said. He had me and I could feel it in my gut that I had him just as much.  
Before I could make any move, Ethan leaned over and gave me a small kiss, leaning his forehead against mine. “And you have me,” He whispered against my lips before pulling away to see the blush on my face grow.  
“What about you? Where are your parents?” Ethan asked?  
Immediately, I felt my stomach tighten and my mind seemed to search around the basement, cuing in on the shoe box full of unread letters.  
Ethan’s body lifted up with tension and his smile dropped as if he could feel my own tension inside of him. “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay.”  
Quickly shaking my head and closing my eyes, I said, “No, I opened this door knowing what could come out, and besides, we need to know more about each other.”  
My hands seemed to start picking at the couch, unsure of what else to do.  
“It’s complicated and kind of harsh. My parents, on the outside, looked just like any other parents. But behind closed doors, they were different. If you met my mom, you would think she was this great lady who loved her daughter unconditionally. And my dad, at first you would see him and think that he was a hard worker who came home to lay food on the table for his family. But neither of them were those things.”  
I couldn’t find myself to look at Ethan, but inside I could feel his tension rise and fall with every word that left my lips.  
“My mom, she was a great lady, but she didn’t know how to be a mom. It was like I just popped out of nowhere and my mom just said “What is this?” She never understood me, never tried to listen to me. It was like she didn’t really want me, but she’d never admit that. She didn’t yell or hurt me, physically anyways, she just left me, alone.”  
Ethan’s hand slid over and squeezed my leg comfortingly, making my eyes finally look up at him. My teeth took in my bottom lip and chewed on it for a minute before I continued on, looking back down at the couch again.  
“My dad, he was a hard worker, loved my mom so much. But when I was five, something happened. I, to this day, don’t what, but my dad couldn’t look at my mom anymore. He stopped saying “I love you”, he stopped giving her little kisses, he even stopped doing things with her. The next thing I know, he’s bringing cans of beer home. At first it was just a few, then it seemed like every other day he was going out and buying more. He became an alcoholic. It wasn’t until I was 18 that I finally had enough of it. I told my dad that if he didn’t go and get some help, I wouldn’t talk to him, I wouldn’t see him, I wouldn’t even acknowledge him. And my mom, I told her to do what she does best and leave me alone.”  
I finally forced my eyes back up to Ethan’s. The look on his face surprised me, he didn’t show any type of sadness or any type of shock. Instead he just smiled at me, the words, “I think you did the right thing” leaving his mouth.  
No one, not even Rachel or Catheryn, has ever said that to me. They always said that it’s good to give them space but keep up on your promise. Yet, here was Ethan, understanding and accepting my parents as if they were his.  
I jumped slightly when I heard the basement door open and close and the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Crap.  
Catheryn stopped in her tracks when she saw Ethan and I on the couch, her eyes going wide for a second before a huge smile crawled on her face. “Emma, I didn’t know you were bringing Ethan over.”  
It didn’t take a genius to know she was happy that I had a guy in the basement with me.  
“Um, yeah. We had to check up on Ethan’s grandfather then he brought me home,” I said nervously. I didn’t want Catheryn to make a big deal out of this, but she did the exact opposite.  
“Well then, it’s a good thing Rachel made extra food. Come on up and join us for dinner, Ethan,” Catheryn said gesturing to us to follow her up the steps. Instead of answering her, Ethan looked to me, as if needing my confirmation that it was okay.  
With a hesitant nod, I stood up and followed Catheryn up the stairs. It didn’t surprise me when Ethan took my hand at the bottom of the stairs and held it as we walked up to the first story. The smell of Alfredo filled my nose and made my mouth water. The second the door closed behind all of us, Rachel turned around to meet Ethan’s eyes with a shocked expression.  
“Emma, I didn’t know Ethan was joining us,” Rachel said, making me even more nervous.  
“Yeah, sorry, we had to check on his grandfather and he gave me a ride home. I guess we got to talking and didn’t realize how late it was,” I said, half lying about the whole thing.  
Of course I knew it was late, I just forgot that Rachel likes making dinner for all of us. Luckily, Catheryn was right, she defiantly made more than just enough for three.  
“Well Ethan, you came on the perfect night. I hope you like Chicken Alfredo and apple pie. I even made some breadsticks, Emma’s favorite dinner,” Rachel said, her eyes moving to me. She smiled, as if telling me not to worry and that she was fine with him being here.  
“Sounds and smells amazing,” Ethan said, giving my hand a tight squeeze.  
Once we all grabbed out dishes and loaded up on the food, we sat around the table and began talking. Of course, Rachel wasted no time in starting up the questions with Ethan, Catheryn cuing in on some as well.  
“So, you two met at the Hemlock High School football field, right?” Rachel asked, poking around her noodles as she listened to Ethan.  
Ethan smiled and nodded, finishing chewing his mouth full of food before saying, “Yeah. She came running one day and I saw her. She forgot her phone so I ran it over to her. After that, it was just luck meet ups,” He said, his eyes glancing over to me.  
Catheryn threw down her fork, making it clatter against the glass dish. “Emma, you always leave your phone! I’m telling you, we need to tape it to your face!”  
“Knowing me, I’ll still find a way to leave it somewhere,” I said, causing a laugh to leave everyone’s lips. As the laughs quieted down, Catheryn chimed in and asked, “So, where do you work Ethan?”  
I stopped chewing, realizing that I didn’t even know if Ethan worked let alone where. This was the point of tonight and I’m slowly realizing that getting to know his favorite color and what food he can’t stand will be questions that won’t pop up until the big, deep questions have already been asked.  
Ethan started to pick at his food, seeming to try and find the words to say before he looked over at my two friends and said, “I’m a builder. I usually help out neighbors and a few friends, but word gets around fast. It gives me some good spending money.”  
My eyes watched Ethan, surprised yet happy to hear that he had a “job” and that it was something I was familiar with. My grandpa was a builder and made sure to teach me how to use all kinds of tools.  
Rachel looked over at me, smiling and raising an eyebrow, “A handy man, good to know.” Already, I could see the wheels turning in her head, coming up with plains for Ethan to work on. She always had a dream for this house, as did I, but it wasn’t like we could just rebuild a house by ourselves, and no one in either of their families know how to build something that big.  
A cell phone ringing brought us all to a silent. It wasn’t until Rachel pulled out her phone and excused herself did we realize it was her’s. She disappeared into the kitchen hallway, unheard or seen.  
Catheryn started to talk about how she wanted to redecorate her room and maybe build some shelving for the walls. As she talked, my eyes watched Ethan who looked down at the table, his mind seeming lost. At first, I wondered if we were boring him, but something in my gut told me that he was listening to something.   
Listening to Rachel and whoever the mystery person was on the phone.  
Suddenly, his attention focused back on Catheryn, picking up on what she was saying like he had heard every word. “If you want me to help you with the shelving, I’m more than happy too.”  
Rachel returned to the table, setting her phone down before digging back into her food. She looked uneasy, causing my eyes to move from her to Ethan questionable. Ethan picked up on my eyes, but said nothing.  
He heard something, and I planned on finding out what it was.


	11. Chapter 11

POV- Emma

My hand held onto Ethan’s, dragging him to the back of the basement, where my bed sat, before stopping. “What did you hear?” I asked Ethan, letting his hand go as I faced him.  
Ethan sighed, rubbing his hands over his pants before slipping them into his pockets. “It was nothing, just a weird conversation with Rachel and a women.”  
I knew there was more than that. The way Rachel acted when she returned to the table said she was nervous about something. And the way Ethan listened in on their conversation told me that he had heard every word and was equally as nervous.  
“Ethan,” I said, making his eyes look from the ground to me, a sigh leaving his lips as he pulled his hands out of his pockets.  
“In all honesty, I don’t know what I heard. Rachel and this women were talking about coming to the house to see you, but Rachel kept telling the women that it wasn’t the right time.”  
As the words settled into my brain, the words that Rachel said before came to mind, “She resorts to calling Catheryn and I because she’s worried you might be laying on the side of the road dead.”   
She was referring to my mom.  
My hands rushed through my hair as my mouth dropped in shock. Rachel was planning on having my mom show up here in hopes we would sit, talk, and make up. She completely ignored my wish to be left alone on the subject and was doing exactly what I didn’t want.  
Ethan watched as my butt sat on the edge of my bed, realizing how much this was effecting me. Quickly, he held out his hands and placed them on my arm and leg as he knelt down in front of me. “Hey, it’s okay; you don’t even know for sure who Rachel was talking too. I probable heard everything out of contact.” Though those were the words that left his lips, I knew he didn’t entirely believe them.  
“If Rachel is trying to get my mom here then I have a right to know about it. And, besides, she disowned her promise to me to stay out of things when it came to my parents.”  
Ethan looked at me with sympathy, watching hopelessly as I began to show him how big my walls actually were. Not only was I hearing that my mom could show up at any time, but I was finding out my friend wasn’t as trustworthy as I thought.  
“Maybe if you just talk to her, she can explain things,” Ethan said, rubbing my leg in a soothing way. He clearly didn’t want me to rush to conclusions or lose a friend all because he listened in on a conversation that he fully didn’t understand.  
Nodding and standing up, I quickly said, “Oh, I’m talking to her, no doubt about that.”  
My feet were already carrying me away, ready to stomp up the stairs and yell in Rachel’s face. But with one touch, I stopped. My body relaxed some and my head turned to find Ethan holding onto my hand. Dang it. Every time he touches me I lose the anger that would usually encourage me to stomp up the stairs and accuse Rachel of many things.  
A sigh soon left my lips as I squeezed Ethan’s hand and walked over to him. Our arms trapped each other as we embraced each other into a hug. “Okay, fine,” I mumbled against his chest. My gut tried to hold onto any anger that was left but it was slipping through its grip and vanishing into the warmth of Ethan.  
“Do you want to spend the night?” I asked, hoping that he would say yes and we could just stay like this until we either got sick of each other or I got to warm.  
I could feel Ethan smile as he said, “I think Rachel and Catheryn would get suspicious. Besides, I want to head back and check on my grandfather, see what the Elder Wolves had to say.”  
Ethan pulled away, looking at me for another second before asking, “Do you want to come stay with me tonight?”  
As much as I wanted to say yes, pack a bag, and leave with him for the night I declined his offer. “No, that’s okay. I’m just going to get some work done, get some sleep, and go for a run tomorrow morning. Let me know how everything goes,” I said, taking his hand for the hundredth time that day.  
Smiling and nodding, Ethan whispered out an “okay” before leaning down and giving me a kiss. His kiss made me wish he would stay longer but we both knew he should go.  
“Night,” I said against his lips. “Night,” He said against mine before turning and leaving.  
I closed and locked the door behind Ethan before retreating to my couch where Netflix and my laptop waited for me.   
Apparently, I lost track of time because it felt like only minutes later and I was being woken up by my alarm on my phone.  
Taking a quick shower and changing into my running outfit, I grabbed my bag and an apple before jumping into my truck. Catheryn and Rachel were still asleep, so I didn’t have to worry about stopping myself from speaking up to Rachel. That doesn’t mean I won’t later on.  
The radio played as one hand held onto the apple I chewed and the other steadied the wheel. It wasn’t until I pulled into the empty parking lot of the school did I finish my apple, throwing it into a trash can near-by.  
To my surprise, no one was at the field or in the stands. I expected one of the pack members to be there like always, but giving it more thought I realized they were probable still at Eric’s.  
I climbed over the fence and walked across the field to the stands. Making my way into the watchers room, I plugged my phone in, wishing Daniel was here to skip and play my music instead of me having to do it. Either way, I wasn’t going running without some music.  
The second my feet landed on the track, my feet started a sprint. The air was perfect, cooling me down some as I started to speed up. A run was what I needed. I needed to clear my head, not focus on anything, and just do what I do best. Run.  
Of course, half-way through my mile run, I realized my brain was not going to just settle. Instead, it continuously wanted to return to either the conversation I’d eventually have with Rachel or Ethan.  
I never heard back from him, making me a bit worried something might have happened. Yet, I talked myself out of making any calls to him, telling myself I was just overthinking like usual and that everything was fine. If something was seriously wrong, he would let me know or I would feel it. Right?  
A sigh left my lips as I stopped my feet, putting my hands on legs before taking a few deep breaths. It looks like half a mile will have to do for today. If worst comes to worst, I could always come back and run or even run around my pond if I don’t want to drive all the way back over here.  
I jogged my way up the bleachers in hopes that it would make me feel better about not running a mile today. It did.  
My hand turned off the speakers and grabbed my phone. I turned to leave, stopping when I saw a man blocking the door. His short red and black hair gave me no hint onto who it might be, but when I met his eyes, his brown mixed with red eyes, I knew who it was.  
Michael.  
Before I could say his name, make a move, or even comprehend a breath, his feet moved him quickly towards me. His hands grabbed me roughly, throwing me into the window behind me. The throw was so harsh and powerful that my body broke the window, flying through the air to eventually land on the bleachers. My body was prepared to make contact with them, break a few bones or even kill me. But instead I landed harshly into something softer, warmer.  
The thing I landed on stumbled back before steading itself. When I opened my eyes, my breath finally catching itself, I looked to see Ethan holding me close to him. His eyes were fixed on me, searching my face for any sign of injury. Apparently his mind was settled because his attention turned back towards the broken window where Michael stood.  
A huge grin played on Michael’s face as he climbed up and over the broken window. The second his feet hit the bleachers, it shook and echoed. His eyes were fixed on Ethan, though I didn’t miss the few glances I would get in between words.  
“Ethan, long time no see. I thought my little meeting with Eric would have kept you away longer, but apparently your wolf senses brought you back. Congrates, your only half as stupid as I thought you were.”  
Michael was taunting Ethan, waiting for him to fume with so much anger he’d lose control and strike. Clearly, by the built of Michael and the stories I’ve heard, he would win a fight with a un-right-mind Ethan. But Ethan didn’t figure that. He was ready to change, to fight, and if it wasn’t for me in his arms, he would have already.  
Suddenly, the bleachers shook again, causing all three of our heads to turn to the right, finding Jackson standing on them now. Daniel, Liam, and Lucas stood behind him, their faces and stands showing preparation for anything.  
“Of course, the great alpha Jackson isn’t short behind his second in command,” Michael said, his grin growing to a smirk.  
“Your first mistake, Michael, was sending the Elder Wolves to our land. The second mistake, was believing that they wouldn’t take into consideration what we had to say about you. And your third mistake, was attack this girl,” Michael said, nodding over to me. The way he spoke made even me want to listen to every word. “It’s five to one, it a loose situation for you. Now, you can either take that into consideration and leave now or start a war that is not yet ready to be fought.”  
My eyes moved to Michael, watching as he starred down Jackson, clearly neither one wanted to give in. Yet, Michael sucked in a deep breath before smirking slightly again. “My message has been clear to you. If you don’t remember it, then this will be nothing but a simple push. Your call Jackson, your call.”  
With those words hanging in the air, Michael turned, meeting my eyes once more before running down the bleachers. The second his feet touched the track, his form changed into a wolf and vanished into the woods behind the bleachers.  
Ethan’s attention turned to me as he stood me up on me feet, keeping his hands on me in case my legs decided to give out. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”  
“I’m fine,” I mumbled out, still in shock at what just happened. If Ethan hadn’t been here, I would have broken every bone in me. Or worst.  
“It isn’t safe here for Emma. If Michael knows where she lives and that she comes here all the time, he’ll know everything else about her as well,” Jackson said. He slowly made his way over to us, not missing a beat. The rest of the pack followed quickly behind, their eyes either on Jackson or me.  
Jackson had a point. Michael has already attacked me at my house and the football field, it’s not like I really go anywhere else besides those two places. What other place could be safe enough? And what about Rachel and Catheryn?  
“What about Eric’s house? Michael would never think of attacking there again since the Elder wolves showed up before,” Ethan said, making me quickly look at him.  
“It would be the safest place, at least for now,” Daniel said, agreeing with Ethan’s choice on the place.  
Shaking my head and taking a step away from Ethan, only to almost stumble backwards, I quickly said, “Wait. No way. I’m not leaving Rachel and Catheryn unprotected.”  
“We don’t waste our time in protecting two people that aren’t even in danger,” Jackson said. His alpha attitude was really starting to get on my nerves. I understand that he has to act that way, but right now he could lighten up.  
“You just said that my house isn’t safe, and Rachel and Catheryn live in my house. That puts them in as much danger as I am in,” I stated, not bowing down to his words like everyone else would. He may be Ethan, Daniel, Liam, and Lucas’ alpha, but he’s not mine.  
Jackson stared at me, clearly unhappy with my choice to stand up to him. Either way, he let out a sigh and looked off at the football field, “Michael won’t hurt humans that don’t know about wolves. It’s a rule that even he won’t break.” His attention turned back to me, giving me a half smile, “So your friends have nothing to worry about. But you, you have a lot to worry about.”  
It took everything in me not to just start an argument with him, but I kept my mouth shut.  
When Ethan put his hand on my back my body tensed up a bit, feeling the gashes and bruises that probable covered my back from the glass. Ethan either felt it or saw my body tense because he immediately dropped his hand and looked at me worriedly. “We should have Eric look at your back, make sure you’re okay.”  
Even if I wanted to decline his offer, I knew that he wouldn’t relax until he heard that I was perfectly fine. And in all honestly, I would feel better if someone looked at my back as well.  
“We’ll meet you at the pack house,” Lucas said to Ethan and I. Liam and Daniel nodded in confirmation, looking to Jackson who wasted no time nodding in agreement as well.  
Ethan lightly grabbed one arm while the other lightly touched my lower back, hoping not to hurt me anymore then I already felt.  
The short drive was quiet, both of our minds seemed out of our heads, in a different world. When Ethan pulled up to Eric’s house, we headed inside through the sliding glass door, immediately greeted by Erika.  
“Ethan, Emma! What are you two doing here?”  
“Emma was attacked. I want Eric to take a look at her, make sure she’s okay,” Ethan said, not wasting any time with explaining. My eyes glared over at him before returning to Erika who now looked worried, “I’ll explain later.” Erika quickly nodded for me to go ahead, excepting that I would eventually tell her what had happened.  
We walked through the living room, down the small hallway, and into the office/medical room. Eric sat at his desk, his hand writing away on some paper. He was completely oblivious to us until Ethan closed the door behind us, making Eric jump slightly and look up. His concentrated face grew to a smile as he dropped the pen.  
“Emma! What a pleasant surprise!” Eric reached for something, grabbing it, and standing up. When he limped around his desk, I realized what he had grabbed onto was a cane. The cane looked old yet sturdy. Strange carvings circled the cane, creating the antic look.  
Eric’s ankle had a brace wrapped around it, surprising me. “Eric, what happened?”  
Stopping and looking down at his ankle for a second, Eric looked confused before realizing what I meant. “Oh, this old thing? Don’t ya worry about it, I’ll be fine and running around like I was three years old again soon.”  
I smiled slightly, before remembering why we were there in the first place.  
Ethan spoke up, “Michael attacked Emma today, threw her through a window, I was wondering if you could look at her back.”  
Eric’s kind smile left him, replacing it with worry. He quickly gestured over to the large, doctor like chair. “Sit, let me take a look.”  
I made my way over to the chair, Ethan right behind me until I sat down, then he moved to the side of me. I could tell he was worried, so I reached my hand over and grabbed his, giving it a small squeeze. This action relaxed him, and me.  
“Okay, I’m gonna lift up your shirt a little and make sure there isn’t any glass stuck in your back,” Eric said, sitting in a wheelie chair and wheeling his way over. He cautiously placed a hand on either side of my hips before turning me a little so my back was facing him and my front was facing Ethan.  
My eyes looked up to Ethan, watching him watch every action Eric made.  
Taking my shirt slightly, Eric lifted it up to my shoulders. His fingers lightly grazed over my back, causing Ethan to quickly leave my front and join his grandfather.  
“Luckily, your back only has a few cuts, no stitches needed. It’ll be sore for a bit but you should be okay,” Eric said, pulling my shirt down. I turned to face him and Ethan, smiling when Eric asked me, “So, will you be staying for dinner?”  
Ethan placed a hand on my shoulder, “Actually, she’s going to stay with us for a few days. Is that okay?”  
Eric smiled and wheeled away, grabbing his cane, “Of course it is. Who knows, with my cooking, she might even want to live here.”  
A laugh left Ethan and my’s lips, causing me to nod, “Maybe Eric, maybe.”


	12. Chapter 12

POV- Emma

It had been two days since the attack at the field. Staying at Eric’s house was actually kind of nice. Ethan had one of the guest rooms all set up for me, letting me stay in there or in his room.  
Catheryn and Rachel blew up my phone continuously, wondering where I was and what was going on. I told them that I was taking a little road trip with Ethan and not to worry. Of course, it wasn’t until I called Rachel and she heard the reassurance in my voice did she finally believe me.  
I didn’t end up confronting her about my mom, figuring it was something that I should do in person.  
The sound of my alarm going off next to me woke me up from a deep sleep. A groan left my lips as I turned off the alarm and sat up. The TV from last night was still on, the movie that Ethan and I had watched was now stuck on the Main Menu screen. A large fuzzy blanket sat over my body, the print revealing itself as three wolves.  
What a shock.  
Grabbing my phone, I switched off my alarm to find the numbers 8,0,0 on the front screen. Ethan had told me that there was no need to set an alarm here, but the habit overtook me and I did it anyways.  
Being here for two days was nicer than I thought it would be. The first day I found myself exploring more of the house. Finding out that there was a basement in the house, only for Jackson to tell me to stay out of it.  
The second day was filled with Ethan and me watching movies, playing games, and even getting his grandfather to share stories about his ancestors past.  
Today, I was going to spend some time with Erika while Ethan was going to head out and pick up some food. It was nice to know that I had another girl in the house to talk to, needing the girl to girl time.  
I slipped out of the blanket and walked over to my suitcase full of clothes which sat on a large chair. Next to the chair was a desk, my laptop already charged on top of it. The room, though it only had one window, never seemed to be dark, instead it held the cabin like feel and look while the lightening made you feel like it was the sun.  
Ethan had his own bathroom off his room, while the other bathroom was in the hallway. Though Ethan offered me to use his, I declined and have been using the one in the hallway.  
Liam, Lucas, and Daniel have been staying at their own houses, stopping over to check on things on the first day before heading back. Jackson and Ethan seemed to have a brotherly love that no one ever saw unless you were living here. There was many times I’d find them goofing around in the living room or messing with us Erika and me.  
But, even in the fun, Jackson still looked at me with an alpha stare.  
After taking my shower and changing into some black sweatpants and a red short sleeve shirt, I finished getting ready.  
My feet carried me through the rest of the second floor, heading down the stairs to find Ethan in the kitchen with his grandfather. Eric was cleaning off items from the fridge while Ethan was scrubbing it out.  
Confusion filled my face as I asked with a smile, “What are you two doing?”  
Ethan pulled his body from the fridge, looking over to me with a smile, “One of Eric’s “secret pop” cans exploded in the fridge last night. His eyes moved to his grandfather, glaring slightly at him with a smile.   
Even with his back turned, Eric could still tell Ethan’s look, saying, “Boy, I wouldn’t be giving me those eyes. Who was the one that slammed their body into the fridge, making us get a new one?”  
“I only bumped into it,” Ethan commented, looking at me with a roll of his eyes, his smile still there.  
“Yeah, with your whole body,” Eric said, turning to look at his grandson. I couldn’t help but chuckle at their comments, finding myself laughing more here than I have anywhere.  
My feet carried me over to the cupboards, opening them in hopes of finding something warm. It wasn’t until Erika walked in, did Eric finally ask, “What are you looking for Emma?”  
“Something warm,” I said, my eyes glancing through the cupboards.  
Erika spoke up from her spot on the other side of the counter, her eyes watching me. Her voice spoke up, “Cupboard over Eric, there’s some tea and honey.”  
I smiled over to Erika, thanking her as Eric reached up and grabbed the tea and honey for me. I made some for both Erika and I while Ethan finished up with the fridge, letting Eric put everything back.  
“Want to join me upstairs for some girl talk?” Erika asked, taking the cup of tea from me.  
As I returned the honey and tea back to the cupboard, I nodded, ready to enjoy some time with another girl. If it wasn’t for her, I feel like I’d find myself being more of a tom boy then a girl.  
Grabbing my own cup of tea, I followed Erika up the stairs and into the small sitting room. We both found a seat next to each other, crossing our legs under our bodies.  
“So, have we drove you crazy yet?” Erika asked, making me let out a small chuckle.  
“To my surprise, no. But the days not over with yet,” I pointed out to her, making her nod in agreement.  
There was a small moment of silence, both of us taking a sip of our tear before Erika broke it. “So, have Ethan and you talked about what the next chapter is?”  
At first, I was thrown off by her question, unsure of what she entirely meant. But my brain quickly put the pieces together, making me shrug slightly. “Not really. But, we still have a long time before anything big needs to happen,” I commented, not knowing that I was way from the truth.  
“Trust me when I say that, it comes quicker than you think. My own connection story moved a lot faster than I ever thought my real one would. But, trust me, I don’t regret it.”  
My eyes stared at Erika before I shook my head in a smiling disbelief, “I can’t believe Jackson and you. When I met Jackson, I never, in a million years, would have thought he could be so…” My words trailed off, unsure of what the right word would be.  
“Emotional?”  
“Yeah. I mean, the first time I saw Jackson and you together, I wondered if someone was pulling a prank on me.”  
Erika let out a laugh, nodding her head in agreement. She took a sip of her tea again before her eyes seemed to get lost in it.  
A question popped up in my head, one that had been locked away until the right moment. I guess this was that moment, because my mouth opened and the words spilled out. “You came across Michael once, right?” I questioned, not remember if it was a question I asked or just thought.  
She let off a small, forced chuckle, “More than once.”  
“What happened?”  
Her sigh made me rethink my words, but before I could try and back track it or erase it from the conversation, she started to answer.  
“My situation was similar to yours. Jackson and Michael were already at each other’s throats. I had just accepted who I would become. And, I was so happy. But, when I came around, it was like Jackson was surviving up a plain for Michael on a silver platter. And Michael took advantage of that. At first, it was little things. Threats, a few visits. But when I found out I was pregnant, that’s when things changed.”  
She paused, as if letting her words soak in or letting herself adjust to the new atmosphere. Either way, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  
Erika smiled slightly, “I remember the look on Jackson’s face when I told him I was pregnant. He was so happy, so excited. Everyone was, even me.” Her smile faded away as she continued, “But, we didn’t get the chance to meet him.”  
Sadness over took me as I listened to Erika’s story, her eyes still lose in the tea that sat between her hands.  
“Michael, when he found out that we were pregnant, took that as an advantage for himself. He tempted Jackson away with threats, putting me under the pack’s protection. But, none of them were even capable of fighting Michael alone. Not at the time. He took me, stored me in some building on the outskirts of the state, and tortured me. The baby didn’t survive.”  
I felt tears rush to my eyes, threatening to spill out. But deep down inside, I knew that if I caved and dried, she would too.  
“I remember the exact moment it happened. And Jackson does too, because we both felt it. And when he came and saved me, we didn’t need to address it, we didn’t need to ask it, because we knew it. After that, Jackson would try and hunt Michael down, but he disappeared for a while. Until you came around,” She said, looking up at me. “Now, Jackson and I still try to get pregnant again. And it’s not that I’m scared, or anything like that. But, I’m not sure I can give him a baby anymore.”  
If her words weren’t enough to make your eyes tear up like at the end of Marley and Me, then you had no soul. The worst part wasn’t her story, but her voice. She sounded like she hadn’t told this story in so long, recalling every word of it like it was only yesterday. And, maybe to them, it was.  
My hand reached out, taking ahold of hers, feeling the warmth of it from the tea. Her eyes dropped to our hands before looking back up at me.  
“Erika, I’m so sorry.”  
She sucked in a small breathe, nodding, “Me too.” She quickly drew her hand away, letting out a small chuckle as she whipped her eyes, “Now that, that is over with.” I let out a small laugh, knowing that if I didn’t, I’d end up on the ground, crying my eyes out.  
There was a small creak, causing Erika and I to quickly look towards the stairs. Ethan and Jackson were just climbing them, causing us to smile. Ethan smiled when he saw me, while Jackson just gave Erika a sad smile, making me wonder how much of Erika’s story he heard.  
“Hey,” I said as they both joined us, Ethan bending down to give me a kiss. Jackson kissed the top of Erika’s head, laying a hand on her shoulder and giving it a small squeeze.  
“Hope you girls weren’t talking about us,” Ethan said, looking between Erika and me.  
Erika waved her hand at Ethan, “Oh you know girls. All we can talk about is our guys.” All of us let out a small chuckle, the atmosphere clearly changed.  
“Want to join me for a walk outside?” Ethan asked me, looking down at me as he rubbed my back soothingly. I nodded, “Sure,” looking to Erika who smiled and nodded for me to go.  
I sat my tea down, standing up and following Ethan down the stairs and out the sliding glass door. I could already picture Erika and Jackson’s reactions once we left. Erika would let out a sad breathe, excusing herself before probable disappearing into their room. Jackson would follow, being there to comfort her while she cried in his chest.  
I know, because that’s what I would have done.  
Ethan took my hand once we made it outside, the small breeze refreshing my brain and body. There was a moment of silence before Ethan broke it, “Truth moment?” He asked, making me look at him questionable.  
“What?”  
He realized what he said and shook his head, smiling as he said, “Sorry. I sometimes do this thing, where I’ll say “truth moment” and then I’ll say something truthful. And whatever I say in that moment is one hundred percent true and can’t be judged.”  
Smiling, I looked at Ethan, “I like that. Okay, what’s your truth moment?”  
“Jackson and I heard Erika talking to you. Are you worried that something like that would happen to us?”  
Well, any thoughts I had on Ethan and Jackson hearing us was not curtained. While, his question made me a bit anxious, unsure of my own answer at the moment. Sure, her story would make anyone nervous of their own life, but things are different for Ethan and me. Right?  
“I mean, it defiantly spooked me a bit, but I’m not so worried as much as I am sorry for them. They were happy and from what I gathered from Erika when I met her, they went through a lot. To lose your kid before you even meet them? It’s sad, it’s like another weight on their shoulders.”  
Ethan’s hand lightly squeezed mine, nodding in agreement as we approached the woods. I let go of Ethan’s hand, letting it fall to my side while my other laid on a tree, my feet lifting me up to step on a uplifted root.  
“What happened to them, in the beginning?”  
Letting out a sigh, Ethan’s hands stuck themselves in his pockets, seeming unsure if he should say it.  
“Well, when Jackson came told Erika what he was, she didn’t believe him at first. Which is completely understandable. But when he showed her even a glimpse of what he was, she was terrified. She didn’t want anything to do with him, and it destroyed him. It wasn’t until she saw his wolf that she accepted it.”  
Confused, I asked, “Weren’t they connected?”  
“They were, but for most humans it isn’t until they see the eyes of the wolf that they actually feel the connection. That’s why it happened so quickly with you and me.”  
I nodded, making a “ah” motion with my mouth as we took a few more steps deeper into the woods. There was another minute of silence before Ethan broke it again, “Hey, how would you feel about going on a date tomorrow night? Just you and me. We can go out to eat, see a movie, drive away and sing to your favorite songs.”  
A laugh left my lips as I stepped off the root and over to another tree. “I’d like that, just as long as you don’t pick to cheesy of a movie.”  
Ethan laughed, nodding as he looked at the ground, “How about I pick the restaurant and you can pick the movie.”  
I quickly pointed to him, smiling wide as I said, “Now that’s something I can work with.” We both laughed, Ethan seeming to admire me from afar.  
Suddenly, Ethan’s smiling face vanished, the look of worry crossing his face as he looked deeper into the woods. I followed his eyes, looking around to see nothing but trees.  
In seconds, Ethan rushed over to me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me to the side. A small sting of pain went through my left side, near my hip as a “thud” noise sounded near my ear. My eyes looked to the tree next to me, an arrow sticking out of it. If Ethan hadn’t moved me, it would have gone right through my chest.  
“Are you okay?” Ethan looked at me worriedly, his eyes following mine to the scratch on my side. Little droplets of blood stained the fabric around the scratch, almost unnoticeable unless you were standing right in front of me.  
“I’m okay, it’s just a scratch,” I said, my eyes looking off where the arrow would have come from. There was no one that I could see, so I looked to Ethan who seemed to have joined me in my stare. His eyes looked around, seeming not to point out anyone but the look on his face told me that he could hear someone.  
Keeping one protective arm still around me, Ethan said worried, “Come on. Let’s quick get back to the house.”  
My feet hurried towards the house, sprinting slightly as Ethan kept close next to me. His head continuously looked back towards the woods, as if waiting for someone to race out. But no one came.  
Once inside, Ethan quickly locked the sliding glass door, taking one last look outside while I stayed close behind him.  
“Ethan, what is it?” A voice said behind us, making me turn to find Jackson descending the staircase. His face no longer held that smile or sad look, but a worried one that showed his strength and fear as an alpha.  
Never looking away from the outside or dropping me from his protective arm, Ethan said, “Someone just attacked us. Shot an arrow. I think they’re still out there.”  
“Where?” Jackson asked, joining Ethan at the window.  
“Inside the woods, not even half a half mile.”  
Jackson nodded, his eyes looking over to me. It was then that I realized my hands were hugging Ethan’s arm, my own eyes moving from the outside to him. His eyes moved slightly to my side before looking back at me.  
When Jackson spoke, I wondered if it was me he was talking to. “Lock all the doors, call the pack and let them know what happened. It might just be one, and they may not want much trouble, but it’s better to be safe than sorry later.”  
Ethan answered, seeming to know it wasn’t directed towards me, “We should a sweep. Maybe we can find tracks or something.”  
“No,” Jackson quickly answered, looking to Ethan who turned and looked at his alpha. “First, take Emma to Eric. Get her side checked out. Then, make sure the windows are all locked. When you’re done, call the pack. If they want to run out here right now, their more than welcome too. But we don’t start tracking until tomorrow. Understood?”  
I could see Ethan suck in a deep breath, feeling his uneasiness before slightly nodding.  
Ethan turned and directed me towards Eric’s office, giving Jackson one last look. We walked into Eric’s office, Ethan already sitting me down on the chair while explaining to his grandfather what had happened.  
Eric looked over my side closely before patching it. “It’s just a scratch. I disinfected it so it wouldn’t get worst. She’ll be okay,” Eric reassured his grandson before looking at me. “Well Emma Mulberry, you are one lucky girl.”  
“Or really unlucky,” I said with a smile, looking to Ethan who didn’t seem to like my joke. I quickly added, “Depending on how you look at it.”  
He rolled his eyes slightly with a half-smile before watching me jump off the chair. “Why don’t you help Erika and Eric with dinner? I have a few things to do,” Ethan said, rubbing my back.  
I nodded, mumbling out an “okay” before giving him a quick kiss that he returned. Eric and I watched as the young Ethan Jamison walked out of the room to fulfill the orders of his alpha.


	13. Chapter 13

POV- Emma

The feeling of being sick has always been a nonexistent thing for me. My immune system was always strong, able to fight any bug or flew that seemed to crawl its way into my system. But this, this one was different.  
My body felt like it was hit by a bus. My head hurt like someone had hit it with a lamp. My temperature, even though I didn’t check, was defiantly high yet my hands felt cold to the touch.  
As I starred up at the ceiling, I debated long and hard if I should just stay in bed or get up and face the day in hopes I’d feel better with some food in my system. Either way seemed impossible, mostly because every move I made in this bed seemed to make everything even more uncomfortable.  
I knew Ethan and Jackson had left early in hopes of tracking down the person that attacked us. But, in this moment, I wanted nothing more than to have Ethan back here, holding me.  
Finally, the thought of standing up and facing the world won and I brought myself to my feet.  
Even changing into jeans and a loose sweatshirt seemed too hard, so I just kept my PJ’s on and made my way out of my room. With every step I took I realized how tired my body really was, but I dropped the tiredness and made my way into the kitchen.  
I was surprised when I found Eric standing in the kitchen, making pancakes with the help of Daniel. He must have arrived during the night or early this morning.  
“Hey, there’s the runner!” Daniel exclaimed happily as he tried flipping another pancake in the air, just making it in the pan. My legs moved me to the stool, slowly climbing onto it. I gave Daniel a warm smile in hopes he couldn’t see how horrible I felt.  
What was wrong with me?  
Eric glanced up from the pile of pancakes to me, reaching up and grabbing a plate. “Are ya feeling okay Emma?” Eric asked, as if seeing right through the smile and quietness.  
Nodding, I said, “Yeah, I’m fine, just didn’t get much sleep last night,” I lied. Well, technically I didn’t lie, I really didn’t get much sleep last night.  
Keeping his eyes on me for another minute, Eric slowly nodded before piling two pancakes onto a plate and setting it in front of me. He leaned his two hands on the counter before me, his eyes watched me as I buttered and poured syrup on the pancakes. My eyes would occasionally glance back up at Eric, only to see him still watching me.  
Grabbing a fork, I dug it into the pancakes and took a bite, finally fully meeting Eric’s watching eyes. As I chewed and the taste of syrup and pancakes met my taste buds, I realized that eating wasn’t going to help how I was feeling. If anything, it was only making it worst.  
I wanted to sit here and prove to Eric that I was fine and eat all the pancakes. While another part of me knew that if I did I might as well crawl into bed right now and die because that’s what it would lead too.  
Sighing, I sat my fork down and climbed off the stool, “You know, I’ll take a rain check on the pancakes and try and get some more sleep.”  
The second my feet started to take the weight of my body again, I regretted getting up off the stool. Fighting the want and need to just crash onto the floor, I somehow made it back to the stairs, only making my way up three steps. My vision started to grow dizzy, as if I had gotten up to fast, while my legs wobbled like I had just ran a marathon.  
Finally, as if my legs couldn’t hold me up anymore, my butt crashed onto the steps while my side leaned against the railing for support.  
“Emma!” I hear Daniel yell before I hear footsteps running towards me. Suddenly, I feel the warm feeling of Daniel’s hands on my arms while Eric’s cold ones seem to find their way to my back.  
More footsteps and voices are heard, these ones sounding like they were coming from Erika and Liam, who must have come last night as well.   
I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole pack was here.  
Somehow I managed to open my eyes a sliver, seeing Daniel in front of me while Liam and Erika watched from the other side of the railing, looking worried. Some words are rushed around, but the only thing I can pin point is Eric’s voice, “Erika, call Ethan! Daniel get her to the couch!”  
Suddenly, I found myself being slipped into warm arms before being lifted up off the stairs and rushed back down them.  
“Her body is like ice,” Daniel yelled behind him as he carried me into the living room. My body is laid onto the couch cautiously before the warmth of Daniel’s arms leaves me.  
Once again, my eyes open, seeing the look of worry cross Eric, Liam, and Daniel’s face as they looked at me. Daniel was sitting on the coffee table in front of me, keeping close by while Liam and Eric watched from the doorway.  
“What’s wrong with her?” Daniel asked, looking to Eric as if he could read my mind and pin point the source.  
His face looked like it was deep in thought before he limped his way over to the coffee table, “Check her scratch, from the arrow.”  
Suddenly, I feel my shirt being lifted up some, causing a chill to run up my spine and my hands to rush together in front of my mouth in hopes of feeling the warmth of my breath.  
The look on Eric, Daniel, and Liam’s faces told me it didn’t look good.  
Maybe it’s infected? That seems to be the only thing I can think of, but I soon realize that it’s much worse than that. Eric’s one word echoed in my ear as it slipped from his lips in a whisper of disbelief.   
“Poison.”  
Suddenly, Erika rushed in, causing Eric to quickly pull down my shirt and all of our eyes fall on her. “Ethan’s on his way, how is she?” She asked, rushing over to me. Her hand, as if in an older sister type of way, sat against my forehead before she pulled away and grabbed my hands.  
“She’s cold as ice,” She whispered, knowing that the only people she had to speak loud to were Eric and me, and we were right by her. Her body and voice changed to a more demanding one as she looked over to Liam, her alpha wife showing through, “Liam, go get me the extra blankets from the closet, now!”  
As if a switch had turned when she looked back at me, her voice was low and calm as she sat her hand on my shoulder, giving it a small squeeze in comfort, only for my body to tense slightly in pain. “Ethan will be here soon, and everything will be okay, I promise.”  
It wasn’t until I spoke that I realized my teeth had been chattering, “Don’t make promises, you can’t keep.”  
Erika seemed to smile slightly at my comment before she brought her face closer, “I won’t.” My eyes looked inter hers, seeing the truth behind that. She was going to do everything to make sure I got better and, as if knowing what the word “promise” meant to me, promised me I would.  
Liam came rushing in with three blankets. He handed one to Erika and another to Daniel’s out stretched hand. Walking around the couch, he laid the last one on me. The feeling of warmth took over me, but my body was fighting it. Seeming to win.  
“We need to get Ethan here right now, that’s the only way she’ll get any type of relief,” Eric said, his voice strong as he sat up straighter.  
“Well, what do we do until then?” Liam asked, still keeping his spot behind the couch. Eric looked into my eyes, as if hoping I would speak up and say what I needed. But it took no genius to know what I needed. Warmth and Ethan.  
Looking at Erika, Eric said, “These blankets won’t do much right now, so go grab the hottest soup you can find and make it. We have to start working on her insides before she can get any relief on her outsides.”   
Erika wasted no time nodding and getting up, her hand leaving me.  
Eric’s eyes moved to Daniel, “Go into the medical center and grab the two blue pill containers in my bottom right drawer. The key for it is-“  
“Under your pencil container, I know,” Daniel said, getting up to his feet and rushing away.  
“What about me?” Liam asked, making Eric look at him. The young boy before him craved to be handed a job as important as the others. “Liam, go into the library and grab all the books that are labeled “Poison”.  
Liam quickly nodded before rushing off.  
Eric’s eyes focused on me, giving me a reassuring smile, “Everything will be fine. Right now, just try and get some sleep.”  
Asking me to sleep was like asking a short person to reach for something off a high shelf. I wanted too, but couldn’t, and it frustrated me. None the less, maybe it was Eric’s old alpha voice or the fact he was like a grandfather to me, I felt obligated to try at least.  
Soon, my eyes were closed and I felt my mind start to wander. I knew I wasn’t in a deep sleep, but I was half-way there, and right now that was good enough for me.  
What seemed like only a couple of minutes later, I heard a voice in front of me say, “Emma.” The feeling of warm, comforting hands on my head and arm pulled me from my wandering mind. When I felt the pain in my body calm some and the ice cold feeling melt a bit, I knew who it was.  
Though, as if confirming my thoughts, my eyes opened and I met the light green and gold eyes of Ethan.  
“Hey,” Ethan said, smiling slightly, as if in relief.   
“Took you long enough,” I mumbled out, cracking the smallest smile I could which only made a small laugh leave Ethan’s lips, “Sorry.”  
My eyes looked around, everything still a bit dizzy but recognizable. Erika stood in the doorway of the living room while Daniel sat in one of the lounge chairs by the couch. Liam and Eric were by the desk in front of the wall of windows, books scattered around them.  
“Where’s Jackson and Lucas?” I mumbled out, surprised I was able to continue talking.  
“They’ll be back here soon,” Ethan said, his thumb rubbing against my forehead in a calming way. As soon his hands left my body, another ice cold chill ran up my back, causing a shiver to rush through me. My hands found the blankets, pulling them up closer to me as I tried to breathe in the warmth.  
I could see the look of worry in Ethan’s eyes before he came to a conclusion. Seconds later, I found my head being lifted up and Ethan’s body slipping onto the couch, laying my head onto his lap.  
Immediately my body sensed the warmth and feel of Ethan and I turned, burying my head into his body. Ethan laid one hand on my head, rubbing it soothingly while his other, avoiding the scratch, laid on my side.  
“She needs food in her system,” I heard Erika say to someone.  
“Let her get some rest,” Eric’s voice said from the other side of the room, by the desk. “She’ll need all the strength she can get.”


	14. Chapter 14

POV- Ethan

My eyes looked down at Emma, watching as her body moved steadily up and down with her breath. Her head was tucked into my body, her hands brought up to her face as she inhaled the warmth I was giving her.  
This was my fault. I sensed something off in the woods yesterday and instead of going on my instincts, I disowned them. Now, Emma’s hurt and in pain all from an arrow that just grazed her.  
Jackson, Lucas, and I were unable to track down the shooter, losing the sent and trail on the outskirts of town. Though Michael was still the only possible person in my mind that could have done this, Jackson was still set on it being someone else. Sure, Michael would never resort to a simple bow and arrow to save his life or hire someone to do the dirty work for him, but who else could it be? Who else wants Emma dead?  
The sound of the door opening and closing brought footsteps into the house. Jackson and Lucas walked into the living room, Jackson immediately greeted with a warm hug by his wife that he returned.  
“How is she?” Lucas asked, his eyes fixed on me and the sick girl in my arms.  
“Not good,” I whispered honestly to him, making his mouth part slightly in shock. My words brought Jackson away from his wife, bringing him slowly over to us.  
The protective side of me that was out the day Jackson tested the theory of Emma being my connection came out. My arms brought her a bit closer to me while my eyes were glued to Jackson. I know he’d never do anything to hurt Emma, but I also know that he’d suggest the stupidest things in order to protect the pack.  
Jackson stopped at the sight of my tension and took a single step back, as if knowing what I was feeling and thinking. Turning his attention to Eric and Liam, Jackson made his way over to them, “What have you got?”  
Eric sighed, looking up at Jackson while Liam looked tired and rubbed his eyes. He always hated reading and studying for things, which meant this was probable hell for him. But I knew he’d do anything, including read a hundred books, for Emma.  
Everyone in this room would, just like they’d do the same for Erika and maybe even Maria. They were part of the pack, part of the family, and nothing is more important to us than that.  
“Not much, her symptoms are symptoms of at least 20 different poisons. All have different cures and one wrong cure could end her life in seconds,” My grandfather said. He sounded frustrated, probable for two reasons. One, was that this poison was testing his knowledge and he was slowly realizing he had no way of finding out the answer. The second was that it was Emma. Immediately he grew attached to her when they met and I had no doubt in my mind that he was sad that his grandson’s connection was slowing getting worst and worst to the point that death was now a word being used.  
Jackson asked, “What can we do to help?”  
Eric looked at Jackson a bit surprised before looking over to Liam who had the same look on his face. “We need the arrow,” Liam said, making Jackson nod.  
“Daniel, you and I will go out and find the arrow, it would have landed on a tree so we’ll start searching there.” Wasting no time, both Jackson and Daniel left the room only to be stopped by Erika. “Please be careful; we don’t know if whoever shot at Emma is still out there.”  
Jackson nodded, taking his wife’s hand before kissing her forehead and leaving with Daniel hot on his tale.  
Silence filled the room, everyone either looking into a book or at Emma.   
My ears were fixed on Emma’s heartbeat and breathing as I watched her stir slightly on my lap. Seconds later her eyes opened and she turned her head to look at me.  
“Hey, how are you feeling?” I asked softly, giving her a small smile in hopes she wouldn’t see how worried I really was. But we were connected, which meant she could feel my fear.  
“A bit better,” Emma said, and for the first time ever, I couldn’t tell if she was lying or being honest. Either she wanted to prove it or was actually feeling a bit better, she managed to sit herself up and lean against the back of the couch which grabbed everyone’s attention.  
Eric and Liam looked up from the books, immediately standing up and racing over while Erika and Lucas watched from a distance.  
Eric sat on the coffee table in front of Emma, his hand reaching up and feeling her forehead. “Your temperatures gotten a bit better, how are you feeling? What do you need?”  
Emma closed her eyes, sucking in a deep sigh before breathing out, “Food.”  
I couldn’t help but smile at her one word, bringing smiles to Erika, Lucas, and Liam’s face as well. “Now that sounds like our Emma,” Lucas said, pointing to her which made her smile slightly.  
Quickly, Eric looked to Erika who nodded before leaving the room, as if they had a secret nod that would answer any question. I tuned in on Erika, hearing a cupboard open and close before juices were poured into something and the click of heat was turned on. She was making soup.  
Emma looked over to me, making me look at her and lay my arm behind her, my hand running through her hair slightly. “Truth moment?” She asked, making me nod for an answer. “I really thought I was going to die,” She said, looking scared.  
A sigh left my lips as I pulled her close to me and kissed her forehead, bringing her into my chest as I whispered, “So did I.”  
My eyes looked to my grandfather, my relief quickly being sucked back in when I saw the look on his face. The look he gave me was silent, but it told me that he didn’t think we were out of the woods yet.  
She felt better, she looked better, and I could feel her getting better. But one look from my grandfather crushed that, tearing it like paper, and throwing it out the window.  
Minutes later, Erika walked in with hot soup, the smell of it identifying itself as Chicken Noodle. She sat it on a hot pad before handing it over to Emma who pulled away from me and took the soup. Her eyes looked at the soup for a minute, her face showing the debate she was having in her head.  
“Just take a few bites,” Eric said, making me look at him to find his eyes fixed on Emma.  
Taking a deep breath, Emma took a spoon full of the chicken noodle before slipping it into her mouth. Everyone watched her facial reaction, no one saying a word.  
Her eyes closed as she smiled slightly, humming in response. Everyone, including me, took that as a sign that she was enjoying it.  
Emma’s spoon dipped into the soup again, chewing the noodle and sipping the broth. Where our bodies still touched, I could feel her cool body warm to a more stable one.  
The soup brought Emma relief, while her warming body did the same for me.  
My eyes returned to Eric, noticing his eyes watch her closely as she ate her soup. I could see the look of worry in his face, still uneasy about Emma’s condition.  
To be honest, I was still worried some too. The only thing that can heal poison is an antidote, but up until now, she hasn’t had anything in her system. How could a nap fix everything? How could she be downing the soup when, no longer, than an hour ago, she couldn’t even stand the thought of food? I know, because I could feel it too.  
Half of the bowl was gone, when she suddenly stopped and lowered the bowl to her lap. I could feel my own stomach turn, making me wonder if it was Emma or me.  
I didn’t need to wait too long, because seconds later she was pushing the soup onto the coffee table and franticly looking around for something. Her mouth was glued shut and her hands seemed to reach out for things that weren’t there.  
As if knowing, Erika rushed a trash can in front of Emma, causing her to grab it and bring it up to her mouth. Any soup she had in her body was now in the trash, causing everyone to grow worried again.  
My hand lightly rubbed her back while Erika held Emma’s hair back. I quickly looked at my grandfather, finally understanding why he was still so worried. He saw it, even when I didn’t.   
This wasn’t the end of the poison we had just witnessed, but the eye of it.  
Once Emma was done throwing up, her body fell back against the couch, her head leaning on my body. Her breath sounded raspy as it left her mouth. Though her temperature was returning to normal, it seemed to be rising much faster than it should be.  
“We need that antidote, now,” I said, demanding. I wasn’t just going to sit by and watch Emma get worst.  
As if on cue, Jackson and Danial re-entered the house. They wasted no time making their way into the living room, Jackson gripping the arrow in his hand.  
Eric stood up, surprised on how quickly they had found the arrow and returned it. He took the arrow, looking it over before looking towards Liam, “We need to look this over in my office right away.”  
In seconds, Liam had risen to his feet and joined the disappearance of my grandfather into his office.  
My arm wrapped itself around Emma, pulling her closer to me. My eyes looked towards Jackson who had now turned his attention on Emma and I. Lightly nodding to him, I said, “Thank you.” He nodded back, not needing to say anything at the moment.  
Emma suddenly gasped in my arms, her gasp raspy while her eyes staid closed. She was growing weaker by the passing minute; I could feel it in my own body.  
“Emma, Emma,” I repeated her name, getting her to open her eyes and look at me. “It’ll be okay, I promise. Just hang in there.” I knew my words were just words, but I hoped that saying them out loud to her would help.  
She smiled slightly, her hand slowly moving towards my free hand that sat near her arm. I moved my hand, holding it out to her, seeming to read her mind. She took it, giving it a small squeeze. I could tell she didn’t want me to worry, squeezing my hand in a comforting way.  
I was still worried.  
Liam came rushing out of Eric’s office, a small bottle in his thumb and index finger. He rushed over to the couch, holding it out to me, “Here. Eric said she needs to drink it all.”  
Sitting Emma up, causing her to groan and release my hand, I quickly took the small bottle from his hand. My eyes caught sight of the room before I turned to Emma. Eric had made his way to the living room doorway, watching intensely. Erika seemed to hug her body with her arms, Jackson putting a hand around her waste in comfort. Daniel stood by Lucas who sat in one of the chairs, both watching us with parted lips.  
Everyone watched; everyone waited as I slowly poured the dark blue liquid into Emma’s opened mouth. My hands shook in anticipation, my heart racing faster than it ever had before.  
Once the last drop of the antidote fell into her mouth, I tossed the empty bottle to Liam who quickly caught it. My body turned slightly, my eyes searching her face in hopes of seeing something that would tell me what was going on.  
Even though it was no more than thirty seconds, it felt like minutes had passed before Emma suddenly jolted forward and gasped. She coughed loudly, her lungs gasping for air. I held onto her, keeping her close to me as she slowly sat upright. She looked around, meeting everyone’s wondering eyes before landing on my own worried ones.  
“I really hate being sick,” she said, her voice more of a groggy one this time. It took no wolf ears to hear the relief sigh that left the room.  
My arms pulled her close to me, hugging her to my chest while hers wrapped around me as well. In all honesty, I thought this was it. In thinking that, it was no surprise that I felt my eyes water slightly in relief.  
“Me too,” I whispered against her head, my eyes looking over to Eric who smiled in relief at us.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment what you think! Can't promise how much I'll update.


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